dBi is not the same as dB loss, this is a very common misconception.dBi measures the antenna’s beam width and will always stay the same. An 8 dBi antenna is always sending its signal out in the same path as determined by the dBi number.dB (not dBi) loss is the loss measured from cables or other connectors that decrease the total strength of the antenna. Our rule of thumb is to keep total dB loss under 2.5dBi concerns beam width, while dB is signal loss decreasing the total distance the signal will travel from the antenna.