The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B uses standard 2.4GHz 802.11n wireless technology, which typically has a range of up to 30 meters (98 feet) in open space. However, the range can be affected by various factors, such as the presence of walls and other obstacles, interference from other wireless devices, and the sensitivity of the receiving device. Therefore, the actual range may vary in different environments.
As wardr states: “It’s not clear why an external antenna is not an option for the Pi 3 ”. He thought, why not including one by himself. He found that there can be two options for including external WiFi antenna. One could be more barbarian – just remove chip antenna and solder it to left top mount pad. This is more messy part as you need to scratch ground plane to make it possible to solder copper mesh.
Another way is more civilized. On the bottom side of Raspberry Pi, 3 are two exposed pads where U.FL connector almost fits. Yet you still need to clear some solder masks and rotate one zero ohm resistor. By attaching external antenna, he was able to get better results.
As you can see, the use of U.FL performs best. As always, you should know what you are doing when messing with board components. They are tiny, and you can permanently damage them with the slight move. In other hand, if you want to extend signal power and range of your Raspberry Pi 3, this is one way of doing it.
The other ways to increase WiFi range of Raspberry Pi are:
- To use a Wi-Fi Range Extender: You can use a Wi-Fi range extender to boost the signal and increase the range of your Raspberry Pi’s Wi-Fi connection.
- Use a USB Wi-Fi Adapter: You can also use a USB Wi-Fi adapter with a high-gain antenna to extend the Wi-Fi range of your Raspberry Pi.
It’s important to note that the effectiveness of these methods can vary depending on your specific setup and environment, so some experimentation may be needed to find the best solution for your needs.
