External Antenna for ESP8266

Sometimes you need an external antenna for the ESP8266.

For example you want to install the ESP into a metall box for some outside or other applications which is installed in cases. Or you only need a more signal strength. Therefor you need to install a WLAN Antenna connections. But most of the ESP don´t have a small microcoax or similar. So i buyed some WLAN Antennas for very small amount at the usual shop like "Ebay Bangood Ali etc."

So I started to modify and i want to share a small instructable for modification. For in this case a WEMOS D1 mini.

Step 1: Prepare Wemos D1 Board

First prepare the Wemos Mainboard by cutting off some connections as shown in the pcutre. Be sure that the connection is cut through to get a better signal with the external antenna otherwise the signal doesn´t get better but worsst

Step 2: Soldering the The Cable to the PCB Tracks

After preparations for the cable and the board sold it together like described at the picture. Shield / Screen to ground and the centre-wire to the Antenna track.

Step 3: Check If There Is Not Short Between the Antenna Conection

Please measure to be enshure that there is no short between center and screen.

Step 4: Fix the Antenna Cable

Fix the antenna cable with some hot glue to protect the cable form destroying the connection with bending.

Step 5: Checking for the Success

I uploaded a program to two identical ESP8266 one with our hack one without at the same position. (6m to Access Point). Signal is printed with the internal Arduino instruction Serial.print(WiFi.RSSI()); as you can see the benefit is about 14-16dbm. with a +3dBi antenna. Now you can apply every antennta as you want.

Greeting

DerDani

Comments

[mcvishnu]

I coudn't understand where you cut the PCB antenna as you say in first step?

[SlowPaddle]

You cut where the two traces come away from the ESP chip. I cut my traces at the top of the trace where the two join and the trace leading to the rest of the PCB antenna. The outer most trace is the ground or shield and the other is the center wire of the antenna wire. Check the photos in the post again. One shows it.

[zhekaus]

I can't see any sense in soldering a forked wire. As to me, all you should do is cut out the pcb antenna and solder one 31mm wire. You don't need to make 2 cuts which makes you to solder forked wire to 2 spots.

[frarugi87]

Actually he is not forking the wire. Antennas come with a 2-wires coaxial cable; he is soldering the core (i.e. the "positive") to the inner cut and the shielding (i.e. the "ground") to the outer cut.

[Ivory Dudley]

Ok

[garuda_kh]

Hi, i am using ESP12f. I am building Sprinkler Controller. I need 200m-300m range on open field from the farmhouse. Is it possible with the antenna you use or which antenna you commend to achieve this?

[mcvishnu]

How to connect external antenna with esp8266 12E module?

[SolversBox]

Hi, thank you for sharing. Have you had the opportunity to you compare the performance of your hack with the ESP8266 07? Do you have any recommendation about which to choose? Best.

[Marinus84]

Very useful! I did this with a NodeMCU v2 and it works perfectly!

[jschultz0614]

So, is the shield the ground plane? Does it matter where on the tracing to cut? Does any of the pins act as a direct connection to the "hot" lead for the antenna? Do the ground pins on the interface connect to the ground plane or the shield? And finally, would it be better to just get something like an "ESP-01F ESP8285" or "Wifi Serial Module For Arduino (ESP8266)" (the silkscreening on the back states: Open-Smart Serial WiFi v1.0"?

Thanks, dude :)

[SidShah2468]

Also i am planning to use MQTT server meaning D1 MINI is going to use my hotspot . Also i have attached external antenna on D1 mini so will it be able to get data at approx 200m?

[volvodani]

As i worte before i depends at you circumstances like line of sight "pollution" of the are at 2.4Ghz and the type of antenna.
So i could not gurantee your 200m.
Greeting
DerDani

[SidShah2468]

can you please say whats the range or by how much times the range is increasing?

[volvodani]

This is always a part of used Antenna.
On youtube there are some "extreme" ranges with line of sight up to 10km.
But in real I tested with a BiQuad and i could enter my friends WLAN at approx 300m range.
Greeting.