I would suggest reassembly of the case because there is a large metal shield under the plastic cover that may or may not affect the units performance. (noise emissions) I thought it best to put the unit back together as close as possible to its original state. Also make sure you have the SMC "A" version (rounded hump on top of unit) as the original SMC7004WBR may be completely different inside. As for antennas, if your link is between two stationary buildings, I would go for the parabolic 19dbi or 24dbi version. They are less expensive than most yagis, and have more than double or triple the gain of the common 14 or 15 dbi yagis. Extra gain will needed if your signal path has obstructions. If there is enough junk in the path you may not get it to work at all.