Need to add external WiFi antenna

[Stormsorter]

I need to connect an external antenna to an Android TV box so granny can watch something other than old DVD's and VHS tapes since she cant or wont shell out for cable. Her apartment is about 100ft from mine and using my phone to test can only receive a signal with the front door open.

The plan is to add a sma connector so I can place a 2.4g 5dbi external antenna between her front and screen doors.The problem is I don't know enough about wifi antennas to know the best way to connect one. Do I simply add sma connector in parallel with the internal one or do I replace the internal one? Do I need to bypass or replace the resistor like I have seen is videos where they added sma to laptops and usb cards? It looks like there are two other places to connect antennas on the board so maybe I can just solder the sma connector to one of them without removing the stock antenna? I would rather be sure of what I'm doing before trying to do anything.

 

[davenn]

The plan is to add a sma connector so I can place a 2.4g 5dbi external antenna.......

no prob's with that, you could use a PCB mount SMA at the point where the coax connects to the board

....... external antenna between her front and screen doors.

You don't want to have the antenna behind a screen unless it's plastic/nylon if it's a metal screen you will have to be on the outside of that

You haven't been clear on what is doing the transmitting and receiving

Is that opened up unit above the tx or rx ?


Dave

 

[KJ6EAD]

It looks like the footprint on the board was intended for a right angle connector. If it were mine, I'd make an effort to find the connector that fits and install it, but that's just me. You should note that many antennas intended for WiFi have reverse polarity SMA connectors instead of standard SMA.

 

[Stormsorter]

The pictures are of the android box I want to add the antenna to so it would be the reciever. The box itself is an Ott M8S+. The transmitter would be the router/modem in my apartment, a Netgear F2250 supplied by my ISP.

The sma connectors I have are pulled from old routers and I will have to solder the coax to the board like the stock antenna in the picture. When I tested her apartment I was able to stream amazon video on my phone if stood inside at the screen door with it closed and the main door open. If I closed the main door my phone could not keep the wifi connection. So I'm pretty sure placing an antenna between the doors will work.

My main worry is if I need to remove or bypass the resistor between the stock antenna and the chip like the guy in a video did when adding external antennas to usb wireless adapter. Hes starts talking about at one minute into the video

The antenna I have and plan to connect. http://www.tp-link.com/en/download/TL-ANT2405C.html

 

[davenn]

My main worry is if I need to remove or bypass the resistor between the stock antenna and the chip like the guy in a video did

But your unit is totally different and doesn't have those resistors

So I'm pretty sure placing an antenna between the doors will work.

just place the antenna by a window in the direction of your place ... the window doesn't need to be open
it will still be much better than being surrounded by doors or any sort Even your walls of wood, drywall etc have considerable losses at 2.4GHz

The antenna I have and plan to connect. http://www.tp-link.com/en/download/TL-ANT2405C.html

looks respectable just remember, don't extend the cable length beyond what is already attached to the antenna, coax losses are very high for 2.4GHz
so you are going to have to consider where you are going to place the receiver box unit ... it's going to be close to the / a window !
and you will use audio/video cabling from the box to the TV


Dave

 

[Stormsorter]

I tried near the windows and could hardly run a speed test or load a website. Yet two feet left of the windows, and standing behind the screen door I can get 17mbs from a speed test and stream video fine as long as the main door is open. Now that I think about it her window screens are metal like mine but the screen in the door is plastic. Actually I held the phone at the upper half of the window and the screen is only at the bottom half.

After writing the above I said screw It and just tried it. The pictures will tell the story since I don't feel like typing it out right now. The first few speed tests gave me 5-7mbs then after trying a few other spots I would only get 1-3mbs. So I put it back where it is in the picture and got a consistent 3.5mbs and could stream video through amazon video app fine, so good enough for granny. Now she just needs a better TV so she can actually read show descriptions.

 

[davenn]

Now that I think about it her window screens are metal like mine but the screen in the door is plastic. Actually I held the phone at the upper half of the window and the screen is only at the bottom half.

well there ya go ... always a good reason for these things ... I didn't know the windows had screens

The pictures will tell the story since I don't feel like typing it out right now. The first few speed tests gave me 5-7mbs then after trying a few other spots I would only get 1-3mbs. So I put it back where it is in the picture and got a consistent 3.5mbs and could stream video through amazon video app fine, so good enough for granny.

great stuff