Guidelines for external antenna layout

[captain_morgan]

I'm designing a board with an edge mounted SMA connector for the antenna and am looking for design guidelines. The hardware design guidelines briefly outlines using a PCB antenna but not much more.

Is there a reference design available for an external antenna? I see mention the ESP-WROVER has an external antenna but cannot find any additional info on that.

Any info appreciated.

Thanks, Morgan

[iot-bits.com]

The ESP-WROVER does have a connector for attaching an external antenna.
As for the design guidelines, you can follow pretty much any app note out there for antenna design and RF layout, just that it should be for a single ended RF output. Unlike ESP8266, ESP32 DOES require matching if antenna is 50 ohms. This is because ESP32 output impedance is not 50 ohms.

[rudi ;-)]

The ESP-WROVER does have a connector for attaching an external antenna.

hi pratik, i wounder you know when ESP-WROVER is comming out officially and
which connection is standard active?

internally pcb antenna or external ipx / u-fl ?

thanks

best wishes
rudi

antenna_intern_extern_wrover.jpg (215.64 KiB) Viewed 26444 times

[mehul_dudeja]

Hi

I want to know how to connect an external antenna with an ESP32-wroom-32 as we have an application of light bulb in which the ESP32 module will go inside the aluminium body of the bulb. This will decrease the range/signal strength of the WiFi and BLE.

So is it possible to solder an external on to ESP32 which can increase its range of WiFi as currently the signals are decreasing.

[ESP_Lvxinyue]

Hi

I want to know how to connect an external antenna with an ESP32-wroom-32 as we have an application of light bulb in which the ESP32 module will go inside the aluminium body of the bulb. This will decrease the range/signal strength of the WiFi and BLE.

So is it possible to solder an external on to ESP32 which can increase its range of WiFi as currently the signals are decreasing.

Hi,

ESP32-WROOM-32U has a U.FL connector to support external antenna. Other new modules: ESP32-WROVER (IPEX), ESP32-WROVER-IB, also support external IPEX antenna, but more than that, they also have 8 MB PSRAM. More information can be found on Espressif website: https://www.espressif.com/en/products/hardware/modules.

Let us know if you have further questions. Thanks.

[mehul_dudeja]

Hi

I want to know how to connect an external antenna with an ESP32-wroom-32 as we have an application of light bulb in which the ESP32 module will go inside the aluminium body of the bulb. This will decrease the range/signal strength of the WiFi and BLE.

So is it possible to solder an external on to ESP32 which can increase its range of WiFi as currently the signals are decreasing.

Hi,

ESP32-WROOM-32U has a U.FL connector to support external antenna. Other new modules: ESP32-WROVER (IPEX), ESP32-WROVER-IB, also support external IPEX antenna, but more than that, they also have 8 MB PSRAM. More information can be found on Espressif website: https://www.espressif.com/en/products/hardware/modules.

Let us know if you have further questions. Thanks.

Thanks for replying

If I need to solder an antenna having a braided wire part and a solid core part on ESP32-wroom-32 then where I have to solder it to enhance the range of WiFi?
As we have lock down this particular module for our application and we are into the production.

So could you provide me a solution for this particular module which is ESP32-wroom-32 in some kind of document so that we will get surety that this will never fail?

Please provide the details at the earliest.

[ESP_Alvin]

Hi, mehul_dudeja

Please cut off the RF trace after feed point of antenna and weld the external antenna on the feed point of antenna, as is shown in the picture.

Thanks.

[mehul_dudeja]

Hi, mehul_dudeja

Please cut off the RF trace after feed point of antenna and weld the external antenna on the feed point of antenna, as is shown in the picture.

Thanks.

Hi,

I have seen the photo but could you please send some clear photos or some kind of document by Espressif(official) if possible, in which I can see clearly which point needs to be solder to the feed point and which point needs to be solder to the braided wire.

Thanks
Mehul

[ESP_Alvin]

Hi, Mehul

Sorry for the inconvenience caused by the not-clear photo, we have drafted a clearer photo and hope this one helps.

Thanks.

[mehul_dudeja]

Hi, Mehul

Sorry for the inconvenience caused by the not-clear photo, we have drafted a clearer photo and hope this one helps.

Thanks.

Hi, Alvin

Thanks for sending the photo.

I need to know is it necessary to cutoff the trace/PCB antenna when connecting the external antenna?
Can we keep both the external antenna as well as the trace/PCB antenna?
Do they create some kind of problem when both of them will be working?

Thanks