AP 3800 with external antennas vs internal

[jmprats]

I'm going to add some AP 3800 to a wireless network in an office

I've have been always using internal antennas, even in vertical (wall) AP's, so I don't have any experience with external antennas.

1) I see that external dipole antennas has less gain than that the internal ones? is this possible? So when I have to use external dipole antennas?

2) If I have to situate the AP vertical in the wall, is it better internal or external dipole antennas which less gain?

3) On the other hand, if the AP is in the side (vertical / wall) of the room I want to cover, which is the better election (internal / dipole / directional)?

4) Can I have problems with directional antennas because they transmit very far, but the clients don't have enough power to return back?

Thanks

[Leo Laohoo]

All the questions can be answered correctly if a wireless site survey is done correctly.

[Haydn Andrews]

Internal APs are designed for their antennas to be pointing to the ground (Cisco logo and LED facing the floor) so not designed to be placed vertically on a wall. This is where you could use a dipole antenna with the top two antennas facing the roof and the bottom two facing the floor.

A directional antenna is like those old funnel ear pieces so it can send and hear clients further away, it concentrates the signal in that direction.

As Leo said best to do a site survey

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[jmprats]

Thanks,

and what about internal AP's pointing to the ceiling? Like on shelves on top of a bookcase, is it wrong?