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Better WiFi range?

Joel FinkleJoel Finkle
edited November 2012 in Feature requests Vote Up0Vote Down
Currently, my laptop and phone can pick up my wifi from my garage, but the Twine doesn't appear to. I'd like to suggest a range boost in a future revision. I may have to pick up a wireless extender in the mean time.

Best Answer

  • 8 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • John LaRouxJohn LaRoux
    edited November 2012 Answer ✓ Vote Up0Vote Down
    I looked at the block diagram of the wifi module and it looks like the external antenna connection is attached to the internal antenna so you could probably just plug in an external antenna and get better range. But i'm just an AC mechanic so I may be completely wrong.

Answers

  • don mcintyredon mcintyre
    Vote Up1Vote Down
    George - What happens if just the cable, with no detector attached is plugged in?
  • Paul FreemanPaul Freeman
    Vote Up1Vote Down
    I have the same issue with mine, Phone, Laptop etc work from the garage, but TWINE isn't reliable there. Perhaps the TWINE makers can confirm external antenna ability, or give us other hints.
  • John LaRouxJohn LaRoux
    Vote Up0Vote Down
    I see the twine wifi module has an external antenna connection. Wonder if it is operational.
  • George PeabodyGeorge Peabody
    Vote Up0Vote Down
    The wifi connection's range improved once I plugged in the cable to the moisture detector and the detector itself. I assume the cable is acting as an antenna. The Twine can now report from the chicken coop!
  • Jalon HarrisJalon Harris
    Vote Up0Vote Down
    I got better range too once I plugged in my magswitch sensor cable.
  • John AmschlerJohn Amschler
    Vote Up0Vote Down
    Be careful - the connection to the External Connector is not connected on my board. Look under magnification and you'll see that L2 is connected to the PCB antenna, and the inductor that connects to the connector, L1, is unpopulated.

    Simply moving L2 to the L1 position may or may *not* make the external connector work better. L2 is an RF matching component so it may actually reduce power output.

    See the datasheet: http://bit.ly/TFSsNn


    On the topic of connectors increasing antenna efficiency - I saw this on my board when I plugged in a USB cable. This may be due to a couple reasons:
    1. the USB cable creates a larger ground plane, thus making the antenna more efficient.
    2. the RF signal couples with the cable and uses it as a secondary RF path

    Either way, it better is better!
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