If you have a wireless device and it doesn’t always perform like it should, it connects sporadically or not at all, then perhaps its little internal antenna doesn’t make it.
You can add a bigger, powerful and serious external antenna.
So all you need is an antenna and an extension cable. And a little skill.
If you have an antenna you recovered from an old router or something like that, that’s good. Or you can buy a new one. These wireless antennas usually use SMA connectors. It’s always a good idea to recover RF cables and connectors from scrapped devices, but the downside is that in time you’ll end up with a pile of junk, like I do. The upside is that you can easily start a new project and it doesn’t cost you a lot of money. It’s a matter of hobby and passion.
Check the PCB for the internal antenna. You must cut the trace to it and solder the coaxial extension. The center wire. The shield goes to ground.
Be aware that this is generally irreversible and if it doesn’t work, your WiFi will be dead.
It usually works, and your device will connect faster and will function more reliably.
Or it will just work, when previously, it didn’t.
This technique is particularly useful if your WiFi device is enclosed in a metallic box.
I would like to attach an external antenna to this device: https://fccid.io/BEJ9QK-WN7111B/User-Manual/User-Manual-1563805
Can you please tell me how I should connect the external antenna to this board?
Thank you very much!
Hey Craig,
I read the document, it’s not clear from the pictures where the antenna is.
Look for a zig-zag trace, like in the pictures above.
I’m thinking the antennas are the metal pieces top left and bottom left. There doesn’t seem to be a zig zag trace on the board. There is a stub trace at the right end of the metal pieces. Like they’re in parallel. I tried soldering a wire to each of the metal pieces, but that didn’t help.
Yes, could be the two metal pieces.
Each piece should have two connections to the board, one Ground, one Antenna. Check the ground trace, see if it goes to the metal case.
If the metal piece is indeed the antenna, you need to unsolder it, remove it. Then solder a piece of coaxial and the external antenna.
But there are two metal pieces. One has “Main” printed next to it and the other “Aux” is printed next to it.
Thanks!
Yes, try with the Main, and leave the Aux as it is.
As @racov said, you better dessolder the main antenna and then you likely be able to see the ground and antenna trace better.
Hello Racov! I just discovered your Youtube channel and your website. Thank you for all the information you provide. I can see hours of exploration.
I have been watching your video “HOW TO ADD EXTERNAL ANTENNA TO ANY WIRELESS DEVICE”
I was wondering if you could suggest a solution: I want to add external antennas to my Mifi M2000 but I’m not sure how the SMA cables should be soldered to those compression contacts. I include a link to detailed photos. https://fccid.io/PKRISGM2000B/Internal-Photos/Internal-Photos-4943430.pdf
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers! ~ Marc
Hey Marc,
This device is too complicated for my expertise, sorry.
Best of luck,
Racov
Marc, the device in question has 9 cellular ant connections on the board. The case that the device is in, has 9 points of contact for the antennas that are built into the case. Devices like this, and phones, generally have more than one antenna because of the handing of the device in use. The software takes all of the antennas into account and takes measurements from them to keep the best connection alive. Since there is no schematic on https://fccid.io/PKRISGM2000B/Internal-Photos/Internal-Photos-4943430.pdf , I am unable to tell you which points are ground and which are not. If you are able to use a volt meter, you can find out which of the points (9 x 2, every connection has a ground next to it) are ground and wire it accordingly. You only need to use one set of connections for the antenna you want to solder on. Good luck!