I wonder if there is a need for an external wifi antenna? In reviews I’ve not seen any possability of attaching these to the standard case. Maybey an external antenna isn’t required?
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The Framework Desktop comes with an internal antenna module that’s mounted somewhere inside the Framework Case: https://frame.work/de/de/products/desktop-antenna-module
If you want to use the mainboard with Wifi in another case, you likely have to purchase a separate external antenna (and figure out how to mount it, since the ATX backplate doesn’t seem to have an opening for an antenna).
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Specifically, in iFixit’s teardown earlier this year, the two antennae were mounted to the front metal structure of the case, behind the plastic facade.
It seems like there shouldn’t be any issues getting a good connection in most scenarios. If you want to extend the range or use a directional antenna, you’d probably need to drill a hole somewhere, or leave one of the tiles off.
Actually, that makes me think… would be nice to just have a tile design that’s a cutout for the SMA connector:
(see the ‘Recommended Mounting Hole)
Then you can buy a u.FL WiFi to SMA pigtail like this one ( Amazon.com: Rydocyee IPEX UFL to SMA Female Cable 8 Inches RG178 WiFi Pigtail Coaxial Cable Connecting SMA Antenna to 4G 5G Router, Modem, MiFi Hotspot, Mini PCIE Wireless Card, WiFi Motherboard - 2 Pack : Electronics ) and connect that between the front tile and the WiFi card’s antenna jack.
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That situation for those of us looking to use a different case is definitely a bit annoying… My plan for now is to just drill/punch my own IO shield SMA feedthroughs in the empty area near the audio jack. I’m not totally confident in my ability to do this in an attractive way, so I’m hoping replacement IO shields make their way into the store.
I am also planning to install the motherboard in a different (Fractal Design North) case. I’m wondering if something like this would work for an external antenna? Amazon.com: Bingfu Tri-Band WiFi 2.4GHz 5GHz 6E Wifi6 Antenna & 8inch Cable with PCI Slot Bracket for M.2 NGFF Intel Wireless Network Card WiFi Adapter : Electronics
Yes, that would work nicely.
Hello everyone,
I decided that the easiest thing to do was to use the IO shield vent for the antenna connectors. I originally considered just using a 0.25" punch on the factory perforated metal, but I’m not comfortable getting violent with a part that isn’t (yet?) available from the parts marketplace.
Since I’m teaching myself some modeling and 3D printing, I decided to just badly print a little vent grate with a couple holes. It obviously doesn’t preserve the same EMI characteristics as the original setup, but my chosen case is fully metal so maybe it all evens out…
A few notes (aka lessons I learned by buying the wrong stuff) for anyone wanting to explore these alternate antenna installations:
- Not all wifi cards use u.FL now. My QCNCM865 used tiny MHF4 connectors.
- If you’re reusing antennas from some other motherboard, they may be RP-SMA instead of SMA.
- 10" was the perfect length for the skinny coax cables to go around the mainboard the long way and tuck in around the heatsink.
- Life is easier when you don’t try to cut tape the long way. 2mm wide rolls of double-sided acrylic adhesive are inexpensive and plentiful.
In the future, I might put all the IO holes into the printable shield that @geerlingguy put on Thingiverse so I can print the entire thing as one consistent-looking piece. If I’m feeling really saucy, I may try to incorporate a Framework expansion module slot into it…
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