[Modding] Homey Pro (Model Early 201x) Antenna modification

Which antenna did u use? Could u by accident switched antenna’s?

I used the links for the antenna’s from PetervdK somewhere in this thread. Works for me so far. Nice touch on the transparant dome.

I only used antennas for zigbee and WiFi. So they are the same. Can you give me a link to the antennas used by PetervdK?

Maybe Athom figured out we are opening our Homey’s so they glue them tight now :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Nice to hear about the z-wave improvement and thanks for sharing!

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Scroll up or search the topic. They are in here somewhere… :stuck_out_tongue:

Allright than… I will search, and search, and search…

But like I asked before… I there really that much of a difference between all these antennas?

So you think it’s better that I take the time to figure out all the urls (again) and repost them here or someone else does the search for you then for you to type “PetervdK” in the search field and select “search this topic”? :thinking::grimacing:
That makes me very reluctant to answer the question because that is also already been discussed here too…But in short: yes it does, read the topic.

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Hi Peter! The search, and search, and search part was meant to be funny. Not to make you pissed of… :slightly_frowning_face:

However, after searching, and searching, and searching, I found it! :grinning::grinning:

But believe it or not, they are exactly the same as I ordered I think… So, I should be good… Maybe I will try the antennas from my router to see how that goes…

I also did some googling but I cannot find any article where the differences between antennas are tested.

But no worries! I will continue my searching on Google and this forum…

Enjoy your weekend!

Homey radio frequency

Z-Wave: 868,4 MHz
868 MHz antenna
Example:
https://en.robbshop.nl/externe-z-wave-antenne

ZigBee: 2,4 GHz
2,4 GHz Wlan antenna

433 MHz
433 MHz antenna

868 MHz
868 MHz antenna, the same as Z-Wave

Please note the radiation from the individual antennas.
More dbi is not always better. What do you want?
High range but small spread, then use high dBi. Big spread but small range use low dBi.
Please look at the graphic to understand it better:
7fb53a8f98f45284e4073d1c7d7a01bb45be82cd

Do you want extreme performance and range?
Boost your Homey antenna mod. You can find nice things in Shops.
FLARM_BOOSTER_0

please forgive me my bad english.

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@Marcel_Visser the above post from @Undertaker says it all. It is not just about the quality on an antenna, but about gain and how much that gain affects your z-wave (or zigbee) devices due to the fact that more gain means sharper angle the signal is transmitted, thus some devices receive less signal and need to hop from other devices (especially those devices located close to Homey and above it, like a motion sensor on the ceiling)
Important to realise that antennas are not power amplifiers, they do not make a signal stronger, they instead improve range by focusing a wireless signal over a smaller effective area, as pictured above in Undertake’s post. As you increase antenna’s size and gain, vertical coverage is reduced in-order to achieve gain through a more focused signal. So as you increase gain, positioning and angling of antennas becomes increasingly important, especially over short distances, a slight misalignment will make a significant difference to the achievable signal strength. If your antenna stands in an angle, the signal will go in one side into the floor, missing devices located above.

Before I understood the above, I went and bought a big, fat 9dbi antenna. Disappointing! Just about all my z-wave devices (same applies for zigbee) were using 3-4 hops whereas before with the 5dbi they were fine. I could not understand why my Aeotec plug located 50cm from Homey had to jump through 4 other devices?? Simple, because that plug was located 50cm BELOW Homey and my big fat antenna was narrowing drastically the signal angle. Yes, installing a device in my neighbour house across the street that could have connected direct to Homey.

Now this post becomes big, sorry. One more thing which you can relate this with “the quality of an antenna”.
With not so good quality antennas loss of signal strength will occur and that the level of loss varies from product to product and from length to length. The signal is reflected back from the antenna instead of being transmitted. This is measured by Voltage Standing Wave Ratio. It’s recommended to select an antenna with a VSWR rating of less than 3.0.
Now, is your AliExpress shop specifying you the VSWR?? Sure it doesn’t. So that’s why I call those a “poor quality antennas” (maybe they’re not) and that’s why I bought my antenna from a local physical shop and subsequently I paid much more than few Euros.

Hope the above explains for you Marcel.

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Really awesome explanation. Thanks a lot!

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So, I found this one:

https://www.wifiversterken.nl/p/wifi-antenne-delock-88460?pid=10053580563.5603&filter=16102

Edit: only this on is rp-sma. So, female. Need to look for the normal SMA version.

It is 2dbi and omni directional and it has a VSWR of 2.0

I don’t know how far the signal goes as its only 2dbi but I think I will give it a try.

Just testing an playing with this stuff. I will share my results! :grinning:

Look forward to hear your results!

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That is what I ordered. Both for WiFi and zigbee. From what I saw, the quality of this looks better than what I received from Aliexpress.

So let’s wait and check it out!

You need this one:
https://www.amazon.de/TengKo-Straight-Steckverbinder-Repeater-Verlängerungskabel-2-Pack/dp/B0739RB2FJ/ref=sr_1_9?adgrpid=76679938488&gclid=CjwKCAjw44jrBRAHEiwAZ9igKDBHbmwX-BeAPyQ41MuJF4LQ8wIxg1eGNxLQmOxKtZRS8qItofFl2RoCTgUQAvD_BwE&hvadid=352864369379&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=9041956&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4293406223534029529&hvtargid=kwd-21720616&hydadcr=27926_1737050&keywords=sma+adapter&qid=1566745703&s=gateway&sr=8-9

That 's an option indeed. But I think, the more pieces you use, the more loose of signal you can get in theory… So I ordered new internal cables as well, with a male connector.

But thanks for your suggestion!

Low loss pigtails are very good
Example:

https://www.ebay.de/i/192893053542?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=707-134425-41852-0&mkcid=2&itemid=192893053542&targetid=527969223073&device=t&mktype=pla&googleloc=9041956&poi=&campaignid=1669295944&mkgroupid=63847511719&rlsatarget=pla-527969223073&abcId=1139676&merchantid=137613786&gclid=Cj0KCQjwho7rBRDxARIsAJ5nhFqaLKQlV00dZvx4JWAM0DWLvh4tnSjqL8SSyJNjO6Rpxja_nmRCCacaAnSJEALw_wcB

According to some-ppl-who-always-know-better-than-all-of-us on this forum that is really BS. But he/they never explained why unfortunately…
I also think the better shielded, the better performance… :+1:

You simply cannot let go of this can you :)? Poor soul. why you asked before? Because it is the exact same cable and antenna. Same company that built it even just a different seller. Acting like a wiseguy is great but know what you are talking about because it doesnt help people if you spread nonsense.

Ps, dont bother replying if you expect a response because I am ditching this thread.

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Somewhat of an explanation + Source + Calculator

You could ask your seller what cable it is, if you google the codes you see a huge difference (nothing compared to the cables we bought - both bad and better :stuck_out_tongue: )

Not trying to start a discussion about cables - other topic… - getting sick myself from people who keep asking the same question over and over again and do not want to search for example…

This is for the people asking if cable quality matters, and that got me curious…

Quote:


A common relatively inexpensive cable for short runs of WiFi antennas is LMR100. At 2.4 GHz (the common WiFi band), 15 feet of LMR100 will result in signal loss of about 6 dB. That’s equivalent to dropping power to just 25% of what it was. (Each 3 dB = 50% gain or loss in power)

With LMR400 cable, your loss would be only about 1 dB! (But that cable is more expensive, and also a lot less flexible = more difficult to install.)The loss in dB is linear with the cable length. So if you use 30 feet of LMR100 cable, your loss will be 12 dB (i.e. your signal is now about 1/16 the power that it was). With 7.5 feet, loss will be only 3 dB (you lose half of your signal).

All of the above numbers are for the 2.4 GHz WiFi band. For 5 Ghz it will be much worse.

You can find data sheets (with signal loss graphs) and calculators for various types of microwave coax all over the web. Here’s a calculator (found at a cable dealer) that covers a wide variety of table types.

And to convert dB to ratios (or back), try this (Note, since this is signal loss we’re talking about, enter the dB number as a negative number before pressing “calculate”. Note also that you want the power ratio, not voltage.)

Source: wireless networking - How much Wi-Fi signal strength do I lose per foot of antenna cable? - Super User

The source of the calculator seems trustworthy:
Times Microwave Systems (TMS) is a subsidiary of Amphenol Corporation (NYSE: APH) and part of the Amphenol Military and Aerospace (AMAO) division. We design and manufacture high performance coaxial cables, connectors and cable assemblies for military, aerospace, telecommunications, industrial RF and microwave applications. For over 70 years we have been committed to innovation, quality and the development of new products for demanding applications.