Frequency-Aware Antenna Configuration for Reliable Wi-Fi
Communication Networks
Mohammed. I. Alghamdi1,* Abdul Rahaman Wahab Sait2
1College of Computer Science and Information Technology, Department of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Al Baha University,
Saudi Arabia
2King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Emails: mialmushilah@bu.edu.sa · asait@kfu.edu.sa
Received: February 16, 2026 Revised: March 29, 2026 Accepted: May 10, 2026 ⋆ Corresponding author
ABSTRACT
Dense Wi-Fi deployments are often tuned by changing channel width or adding access points, while the joint effect
of antenna gain, operating frequency, wall loss, and network interference receives less systematic attention. This
paper presents a frequency-aware antenna configuration model for Wi-Fi communication networks operating in the
2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands. The model combines an indoor link budget, antenna-pattern classes, bandwidth-dependent
noise, an airtime-overlap penalty, and a coverage-assurance score that balances signal quality, throughput, latency,
and packet error. A reproducible design-space table is generated from a validated Wi-Fi engineering model and
analyzed across five deployment scenarios, three antenna families, four channel widths, and multiple client distances.
The results show that higher frequency bands improve short-range capacity but deteriorate faster under distance and
wall loss, while directional antenna gain can recover a substantial part of the lost link margin. The paper provides
planning rules for selecting antenna type, frequency band, and channel width according to coverage, capacity, and
interference risk. The work is intended for Wi-Fi network designers who need interpretable engineering evidence
rather than a black-box prediction model.
Keywords: Wi-Fi networks
1. INTRODUCTION
Wi-Fi communication networks now carry traffic that was
once reserved for wired local-area infrastructure. In offices,
hospitals, campuses, factories, homes, and learning environments,
users expect low delay, stable throughput, and reliable
roaming while devices compete in shared unlicensed spectrum.
The radio interface is therefore not only a physical-layer
concern; it shapes the perceived quality of the entire communication
service. A network with high nominal capacity can
still perform poorly if the frequency band, antenna pattern,
and channel width are poorly matched to the space.
The practical problem is that Wi-Fi planning decisions are
often made separately. Frequency band selection is discussed
as a capacity issue; antenna gain is discussed as a coverage
issue; and channel width is discussed as a throughput issue.
In real deployments these choices interact. A 6 GHz channel
can offer high short-range capacity, but the same link
may lose coverage quickly under distance or wall loss. A
directional antenna can improve received power, but it may
reduce coverage symmetry. A wide channel can increase peak
throughput, but it also increases noise bandwidth and may
raise collision or airtime exposure in dense networks.
This paper proposes an engineering model that treats frequency,
antenna configuration, and channel width as a joint
design problem. The study focuses on Wi-Fi network plan-
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International Journal of Wireless and Ad Hoc Communication
Antenna gain Frequency selection Channel width Communication network