ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Maximum ratio combining

Sweetie, have you ever tried doing something with two hands, like catching a ball? You might have noticed that it's easier and you can do it better with both hands, right? That's because when you use both hands, you have a better chance of catching the ball than if you just used one hand.

Maximum ratio combining is kind of like that - but instead of hands, it's antennas. Do you know what antennas are? They're the parts that let your TV or phone pick up signals so you can watch or make calls.

So, maximum ratio combining is a way of using two (or more) antennas to pick up signals better than just using one antenna. You see, there are times when one antenna might not be able to get a strong enough signal from something like a cell tower or Wi-Fi hotspot. But if you use two antennas, you have a better chance of getting that signal because each antenna can pick up a slightly different part of the signal.

What maximum ratio combining does is take those two signals from each antenna and combine them together so that they make one stronger signal. Think of it like adding two cups of water together to make one bigger, stronger cup of water.

When the signals from the two antennas are combined, the device (like your phone) can pick up the strongest and clearest signal possible. This can help you get a better connection to Wi-Fi or make clearer phone calls if you're somewhere with poor reception.

So, maximum ratio combining is a way of using multiple antennas to help devices like phones and TVs pick up the strongest and clearest signals possible. It's kind of like catching a ball with both hands instead of just one!