QtPy ESP32-S2 Range

[tojo4158]

I ordered a QtPy ESP32-S2 (the one without external antenna) and so far love what I can do with the board. However, I assumed I'd be able to use the board from my living room on first floor to connect to my wifi router which is in a bedroom on the second floor. It seems I may have grossly overestimated the range of the built-in antenna.

In my living room, when I scan for Wifi networks, it does find my network, but gives an RSSI of -70 to -80 and does not connect. When I use the board in the same room as the router (about 4 foot distance to router) it connects rapidly, but still gives and RSSI of -40 to -50.

Is this about what I should be expecting or is it possible I'm doing something incorrectly?

If this is what I should be expecting, is there a way to add an external antenna to this board or am I stuck?

Thanks!

[Franklin97355]

I don't see any antenna points to attach to but we have this QTPY with antenna you might be interested in. I had an antenna-less one about 60' on a single-level home and it connected OK but was somewhat weak.

[tojo4158]

Thanks. I was hoping I could get buy without having to purchase another device. Wish I had thought about range performance before purchasing.

Anyone else seeing better results?

[dlleigh]

In case you haven’t tried yet, you could experiment with the orientation of the ESP32 device to see if a different antenna alignment gives you better results.

Try holding the device from a cable so that your hand doesn’t interfere much with the built in antenna.

[tojo4158]

I will continue to experiment.

If it turns out that this internal antenna just won't work at this range, has anyone had any success with the version with the uFL antenna port? https://www.adafruit.com/product/5348

There also appears to be a cheap antenna available with this board: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2308

The antenna says it is 4DBi gain. Any way to estimate the RSSI improvement or the range I can get with this antenna?

[tojo4158]

Has anyone else done any baselining with the Qt Py ESP32-S2 with onboard antenna? Specifically wondering what levels of RSSI I should expect to be able to connect. Is it reasonable that at -75 (avg) I should not be able to make the connection?

[tojo4158]

Just thought I'd post a follow up for anyone that might see this thread in the future.
I ended up putting in another order, this time for the Qt Py ESP32-S2 with uFL connector (https://www.adafruit.com/product/5348). I also purchased the mini flex antenna (https://www.adafruit.com/product/2308).

The range with this setup is MUCH better than just the Qty Py ESP32-S2 with built-in antenna. My RSSI values increased by ~20 (ie. RSSI of -40 with built-in antenna to RSSI -20 with uFL external antenna) and I was able to easily connect from my living room on first floor (router on second floor).

For anyone considering these boards, unless you're planning on being in the same room as your router, you should probably get the one with external antenna.

[Franklin97355]

Thank you for posting, it might help others make an informed decision.