[HowTo] improve Razberry signal strength (antenna upgrade)
Posted: 16 Apr 2016 13:09
In the last months i had some connection issues due to the poor singnal strength of the pcb antenna.
So i decided to upgrade the antenna. I read a bit about adding a lenghth of wire to improve the antenna but that was not what i was looking for. Also i tried this method but ist was not much better.
Because Z-Wave and ZigBee use the same frequency range i decided to add a ZigBee antenna.
Here is what you have to think about:
This work can damage your RaZberry. You will loose your warranty. Im not responsible for any damage - you do it on your own risk!
Here is what you need:
- ZigBee Antenna e.g. Delock No 88688 (Wireless-LAN Antenna will not work)
- IPEX to RP-SMA cable e.g. Delock No 88340
- Ultra-Mini Coax Connector e.g Hirose U.FL-R-SMT ( 01 )
Here is what you have to do:
1) Locate the coupling capacitor C7 of the antenna and the empty footprint for the Inductor L1 2) Remove the capacitor C7 (I just turned int around, si i dont loose it). After that solder the connector on the Footprint of L1 (and C7 because it is larger) the inner contact has to be connected to the z-wave chip (the right pad of C7 and/or the left pad of L1 on the photo), the outer ring has to be connected to ground (the right pad of L1 on the photo) Make sure you do not short out the contacts of L1 3) Drill a hole (around 6.5mm) in the case of your Raspberry (if you have one) and fasten the Antenna. Also connect the cable to the RaZberry. Make sure to be careful, because the connector is not very strong. 4) Screw on the Antenna and be happy about your better signal.
So i decided to upgrade the antenna. I read a bit about adding a lenghth of wire to improve the antenna but that was not what i was looking for. Also i tried this method but ist was not much better.
Because Z-Wave and ZigBee use the same frequency range i decided to add a ZigBee antenna.
Here is what you have to think about:
This work can damage your RaZberry. You will loose your warranty. Im not responsible for any damage - you do it on your own risk!
Here is what you need:
- ZigBee Antenna e.g. Delock No 88688 (Wireless-LAN Antenna will not work)
- IPEX to RP-SMA cable e.g. Delock No 88340
- Ultra-Mini Coax Connector e.g Hirose U.FL-R-SMT ( 01 )
Here is what you have to do:
1) Locate the coupling capacitor C7 of the antenna and the empty footprint for the Inductor L1 2) Remove the capacitor C7 (I just turned int around, si i dont loose it). After that solder the connector on the Footprint of L1 (and C7 because it is larger) the inner contact has to be connected to the z-wave chip (the right pad of C7 and/or the left pad of L1 on the photo), the outer ring has to be connected to ground (the right pad of L1 on the photo) Make sure you do not short out the contacts of L1 3) Drill a hole (around 6.5mm) in the case of your Raspberry (if you have one) and fasten the Antenna. Also connect the cable to the RaZberry. Make sure to be careful, because the connector is not very strong. 4) Screw on the Antenna and be happy about your better signal.