You can do the same as with the Z-Wave coil. Solder the middle wire of an SMA pigtail to the base of the coil and put the antenna outside just like the rest.
If you look on Ali, there is a similar white antenna as shown above for both 433 and 868. Including the pigtail.
2 Likes
Thanks perhaps I can try that. So no need for ground?
Oukki doukki thanks a lot. I will just try and see how it works.
Any chance we could get a detailed picture of exactly how/where to cut it and where to place the new Z-wave antenna? Iām still not quite sure of thisā¦
1 Like
Hereās a closeup of the Z-Wave daughterboard:
You cut, or desolder, the joints in the red and yellow circle. Desoldering can be done from the top, the daughterboard doesnāt have to be removed or anything.
The new antenna will be connected through a thin coax cable (the following photo is from a regular coax cable, but the same structure applies to thin cables too):
You solder the core wire, āDā in the photo, to the pad in the yellow circle. The shielding (āBā) can be soldered to the point in the red circle, but itās not required (do make sure that if you donāt solder it, itās properly protected against making any contact with any part of the PCB).
11 Likes
Super, couldnāt have asked for more! Many thanks!
1 Like
You shouldnāt solder the shielding anywhere, please read this. Danone clearly states that the performance is better without soldering the shielding.
No, you shouldnāt solder it to GND, different thing.
As @danone states: āIāve seen a photo on this forum where someone has connected the shield to the opposite terminal of the original z-wave antenna. Actually that terminal is floating (connected nowhere) only used to hold in place the original z-wave coil antennaā
Thatās what Iām suggesting soldering the shield on to. It provides a bit more stability and āhouvastā to the coax cable.
Hi Danone, its really great to see some fellow Melbournians on this forum. Makes working around with HA constraints so much easier 
I too am facing similar issues regarding ZWAVE range but unfortunately not as handy as yourself when it comes to modding hardware.
Would it be possible for you to help me out with the ZWAVE mod in exchange for a fee or a slab of your favorite beer 
Hi @jazzy_ola , Iāll help you, no problem. (not after money, neither beer)
If you want just the z-wave then you only need to buy an antenna like the one I described above post.
Antenna kit for z-wave: https://core-electronics.com.au/pycom-lora-sigfox-antenna-kit.html
This one covers the Australian z-wave frequency.
There are cheaper antennas out there on Aliexpress as per other above posts. Just make sure that it does the 921.4MHz spectrum for us down under.
Once you have the antenna (it comes with all the required connectors) send me a direct message to discuss the next steps. 
P.S. Be aware that the warranty of your Homey WILL BE VOID.
1 Like
Decided to jump the badwagon and also increase my Homeyās range, as it was very bad in itās original state. I have a very recently build house which apparently is isolated so well, that the z-wave signal wouldnāt even reach upstairs.
I followed above ideaās and the result is quite nice. I did damage the shell a bit when attempting to separate it, as it was glued pretty well and in the beginning almost impossible to get in between. But I just rotated that to the backside.
I havenāt fully closed her up yet, pending some last work on the inside and/or some last adjustments if results arenāt as expected., but boy she does look pretty now. Almost like a real magical creatureā¦
The back antennaās are the 2.4G ones for respectively WiFi/BT and Zigbee. The Z-wave antenna is actually inside the unicorn horn. 
3 Likes
Wow! What can I sayā¦ my daughter definitely loves it!! I guess it balances out Homey. Is that horn 3D printed? You can perhaps have a tail where you can incorporate the back two antennas.
Iāll be curious to hear your feedback regarding the z-wave range.
Yes, itās 3D-printed. Actually, the model is part of a larger project; https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:956359. But itās a pretty easy and relatively quick to print; hollow on the inside, just cut open the plastic of the āregularā 868mhz antenna and put the insides right in. Then glue it shut on the bottom with the plug in the middle, and you actually have a remove-able Unihorn SMA antenna, haha.
I will be testing the range coming days. My Fibaro thermostat heads (that used to have no reception at all at their locations) were both empty (battery) so Iāll be recharging them during the night. Then tomorrow we will really know if all the effort was just for WAF or if it really improved stuff. 
1 Like
Love this topic. Will definitely do the mod one day.
Seeing how many users are willing to risk damaging their homeys to add antenna for improved range, surely Athom can get the hint and think about doing something officially in the future on a new model.
I know it is said that Athom donāt participate in the community board, but they would be crazy not to take advantage of the feedback it provides and peek in from time to time.
I am so tempted to do this mod but the thought of loosing my warranty is stopping me at the moment. However, as soon as it expires I will be performing the surgery.
Thanks to everyone for showing their efforts and the detailed instructions.
2 Likes
They probably canāt due to local guidelines (directives) limiting the max.capacity of emitters.
It could be.
But then how come Fibaro HC2 has an external antenna which gives the unit an incredible range. I had one (twice) and the range was equally or greater than my currently modified Homey.
Adding a better antenna doesnāt change the capacity though, does it?
