For the improved WiFi range and stability in challenging radio environments it is possible to add an external antenna to your Garadget.
Adding the antenna
Antenna can be purchased on eBay for about a buck shipped. Search for 2.4GHz antenna IPEX. There are many types that will work electrically, but are going to be difficult to add mechanically. One type that is easy looks like this:
##Switching firmware to the external antenna
Next step is to upload the modified Garadget firmware that utilizes the external antenna. For that youâll need to install DFU driver. Instructions for the driver installation can be found here. The command to upload the firmware is:
dfu-util -d 2b04:d006 -a 0 -s 0x80A0000:leave -D garadget-1-8a.bin
At this point there is no plan to add an external antenna to all units as a standard feature, but I have thoroughly tested the concept and modded several dozen units. Few are still available for purchase.
I just adde d external antennas to my garadgets but have 1.13 firmware is there another way to enable external antennas without flashing modified firmware. Might be good to add it as a option in settings.
Hi Philip 3.13 I added the shorter one and i didnât really see much difference. I might gives yours a try and see what happens. Cheers and thanks, Craig
Just finished adding an external antenna and the results so far are fantastic. In my (not so scientific tests) I went from -80-85dB to about -58dB and from 2 bars to 5. Ping response time is low. Pretty sure this will correct my network drop offs from having a detached garage quite a ways away from my AP.
As @garadget mentioned to me in a PM, if you are going this route, it might be good to use the screw mount as it will throw off the weight distribution. I have been using a screw to mount it from day 1 so wasnât an issue for me.
