Overview of LMR-200 Coaxial Cable

LMR-200 coax cable is a low-loss 50-ohm radio frequency (RF) cable commonly used in wireless antenna systems, IoT networks, WiFi installations, cellular systems, and other RF applications. Compared with standard coaxial cables such as RG-58, LMR-200 offers lower signal attenuation, improved shielding, and better overall RF performance.

One of the key advantages of LMR-200 is its double-shielded design, which significantly reduces signal loss and electromagnetic interference (EMI). This construction provides improved signal integrity compared to many traditional coaxial cable standards.

LMR-200 is also frequently compared to LMR-100 cable, which is thinner and used in shorter antenna cables. While both cables are suitable for RF applications, LMR-200 generally provides better performance due to its larger diameter and lower attenuation.

At Data Alliance, LMR-200 is widely used in our antenna extension cables, RF adapters, and wireless antenna assemblies designed for IoT devices, routers, gateways, and industrial wireless equipment.

Key Advantages of LMR-200 Cable

LMR-200 provides several advantages over smaller coaxial cables:

Lower Signal Loss (Attenuation)

Signal attenuation occurs whenever RF signals travel through coaxial cable. The longer the cable, the greater the loss. LMR-200 reduces this loss due to its larger diameter conductor and improved shielding design.

For example:

• LMR-200 attenuation at 2.4 GHz:
  0.30 dB per foot (0.98 dB per meter)

This lower attenuation helps preserve antenna gain and maintain stronger wireless signals over longer cable runs.

Double Shielding

LMR-200 uses two shielding layers:

• Aluminum foil shield
• Tinned copper braid

This dual-shield construction improves:

• EMI protection
• Signal stability
• RF leakage reduction

The result is cleaner signal transmission, which is especially important in environments with multiple wireless devices or electrical noise.

Flexible Cable Design

Despite its improved performance, LMR-200 remains flexible and easy to route. It is similar in flexibility to RG-58 cable while offering much better electrical performance.

This flexibility makes it ideal for:

• Router antenna extensions
• IoT device antenna cables
• Wireless access point installations
• RF test setups
• Industrial wireless equipment

Indoor and Outdoor Compatibility

LMR-200 cables are typically rated for both indoor and outdoor use and are designed to withstand temperature variations.

Typical temperature rating:

−40°C to +85°C

This allows LMR-200 cables to perform reliably in environments such as:

• Outdoor wireless antenna installations
• Industrial IoT environments
• Commercial networking installations
• Remote monitoring systems

Typical Applications for LMR-200 Cable

LMR-200 coaxial cable is widely used in RF applications across many frequency ranges. It performs well in systems operating between 0 GHz and 18 GHz, making it suitable for a broad range of wireless technologies.

Common applications include:

WiFi Networks

LMR-200 cables are frequently used with Wi-Fi antennas for standards such as:

• 802.11ac
• 802.11n
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g

Typical WiFi frequencies include:

• 2.4 GHz
• 5 GHz

Because of its low loss, LMR-200 helps maintain stronger signals between routers and external antennas.

IoT and Wireless Sensor Networks

Many Internet of Things devices use external antennas connected with coaxial cable. LMR-200 is commonly used in IoT systems operating at:

• 900 MHz
• 2.4 GHz 
• 5 GHz

These systems include:

• industrial monitoring sensors
• agricultural IoT devices
• smart infrastructure
• wireless gateways
• remote data collection systems

Cellular and LTE Applications

LMR-200 is also used in some cellular antenna applications such as:

• LTE routers
• cellular modems
• signal boosters
• M2M communication systems

RF Test Equipment

Because of its consistent impedance and shielding, LMR-200 can also be used in:

• RF testing environments
• laboratory equipment
• antenna testing setups

LMR-200 Cable Construction

LMR-200 coaxial cable uses a layered construction designed to maintain signal quality and durability.

Key characteristics:

• 50-ohm Impedance
• low-loss dielectric
• double shielding
• flexible PVC jacket

The foam dielectric helps reduce capacitance while maintaining signal propagation efficiency.

LMR-200 Compared to Standard RG Coaxial Cable

LMR-200 is often compared to common coaxial cable types such as RG-58.

Although RG-58 has been widely used for many years, LMR-200 provides several performance improvements:

The double shielding and improved materials allow LMR-200 to achieve lower attenuation while maintaining flexibility similar to RG-58.

LMR-200 vs LMR-100 Cable Comparison

LMR-100 is another cable type used in many antenna cables, particularly when space is limited or shorter cable lengths are required.

While LMR-100 cables are thinner and more flexible, LMR-200 offers lower signal loss due to its larger size.

Attenuation Comparison

Example attenuation values:

CLF-100 coax (similar to LMR-100):

• 0.39 dB per foot
• Over 6 feet: 2.34 dB signal loss

CLF-200 coax (similar to LMR-200):

• 0.30 dB per foot
• Over 6 feet: 1.80 dB signal loss

Difference:
 0.54 dB less signal loss with CLF-200 / LMR-200 cable.

Although this difference may seem small, RF systems are very sensitive to signal loss.

Why Small dB Differences Matter

In wireless systems, even small improvements in signal strength can significantly affect performance.

Example:

• 3.0 dB net antenna gain = 2× power increase
• 3.5 dB net antenna gain = 2.6× power increase

In this example, a 0.5 dB improvement results in approximately a 25% power increase.

This illustrates why choosing a lower-loss cable like LMR-200 can meaningfully improve the overall performance of an antenna system.

Comparison of CLF-100 & CLF-200 in cables between 5-10 feet

Six feet is not too long for the LMR-100-equivalent cable that we use for shorter antenna cables. However, it is right at the threshold at which we would recommend that you consider the thicker cable. This comparison shows that the expenditure for the thicker cable, which is about 25% higher cost, is proportional to the benefit of lesser signal loss (attenuation). If you are using small antennas you may need as much gain as possible retained during passage through the cable and it would make good sense to pay the additional 25% for the 200-thickness cable:

• CLF-100 coax (quality similar to LMR-100, but better): Attenuation (signal loss) is 0.39dB per foot: Over six feet, you would lose 2.34dB CLF-200 (quality similar to LMR-200, but better): Attenuation (signal loss) is 0.30dB per foot: Over six feet, you would lose 1.80dB
• The difference is 0.54dB. You may know that addition of an antenna multiplies the power of the WiFi device, such that even a difference of 0.54dB makes a big difference:
• 3.0dB net antenna gain (after cable loss) = 2.0X power increase for WiFi device
• 3.5dB net antenna gain (after cable loss) = 2.6X power increase for WiFi device <- a 25% power increase coming from a 0.5dB net antenna gain in this example.
• For a six foot cable VS. ten foot cable, the difference in your cost between using 100 thickness cable VS. 200-thickness would be $1.25.
• Therefore your power increase would be roughly proportional to the difference in cost of the cable.

Cost vs Performance Consideration

When comparing cable options, cost differences are usually small compared to the performance benefit.

For example:

A 6-foot cable using LMR-200 instead of LMR-100 may cost about $1.25 more, yet provide measurable improvements in signal strength.

For small antennas or long cable runs, using the thicker cable can help retain more of the antenna's gain.

Recommended Connectors for LMR-200

LMR-200 cables can be terminated with a wide range of RF connectors commonly used in wireless systems.

Typical connectors include:

• SMA
• RP-SMA
• BNC
• TNC
• N-Type
• Mini-UHF
• PL-259 (UHF)

These connectors allow LMR-200 cables to be used with many types of wireless equipment, including:

• routers
• antennas
• modems
• gateways
• RF testing equipment

Data Alliance Antenna Cable Options

Data Alliance manufactures antenna cables using several high-quality coaxial cable types, including:

• LMR-100
• CLF-100
• LMR-200
• CLF-200
• LMR-400

All of these cables are double-shielded designs, which provide improved RF performance compared to many standard coaxial cables.

Our antenna cables are commonly used with:

• WiFi routers
• cellular modems
• IoT gateways
• wireless access points

industrial wireless systems

LMR-100 Compared to RG-316

LMR-100 cables are often compared with RG-316 coaxial cable, which is another thin cable type commonly used in RF applications.

LMR-100 typically provides:

• lower signal loss
• improved shielding
• better performance in WiFi and IoT applications

Because of this, LMR-100 is frequently used in shorter antenna cables where space and flexibility are important.

Summary

LMR-200 coaxial cable offers an excellent balance of low signal loss, flexibility, and durability, making it a strong choice for many wireless antenna systems.

Compared with thinner cables such as LMR-100, LMR-200 provides:

• lower attenuation
• improved signal retention
• better performance for longer cable runs

For applications involving WiFi, IoT devices, cellular systems, and RF equipment, selecting the appropriate cable type can significantly impact overall system performance.

Data Alliance provides a wide range of antenna cables and RF adapters built with LMR-series coaxial cables to support reliable wireless connectivity across many industries.