External Wifi Antennae

dc42

I have a box printer and am running into the same issues regarding a weak signal. I'm considering de-soldering the perimeter of the ESP module from the Duet main board, relocating the module to some place outside of the printer, and then running jumpers to reconnect the contacts that i de-soldered. Is there any negative consequence that might prevent this from working?

The only two issues that come to mind are - 1. there will be some length at which the voltage drop through the wire will be too much for the module and Duet to communicate correctly, and 2. there's a potential for these wires to see too much interference from the environment if they aren't shielded. Is it possible for everything to function correctly if the module and Duet were to be separated by 1 ft of wire?

Have you considered putting a cheap WiFi range extender in the room with the printer?

The signals between the WiFi module and the Duet are 27MHz SPI so they need to be kept short.

strips

I have slightly low signal as well. Very variable how I position my printer. I have it on some furniture with wheels and it's great to move about when I need to.

I almost regret not going for Duet Ethernet and just using something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wired-Ethernet-To-Wireless-Wi-Fi-Adapter-For-TV-DVR-Game-Console-Printer-/121975306714

But I'm planning to extend my wifi soon anyhow so it will soon no longer be an issue.

k3lag

I just noticed that the ESP-07S is FCC and CE approved. Looks like it has more flash too. I'd be all for the ability to connect an external antenna if you'd consider this for a future update.

WalterSKW

My Duetwifi is installed in an all aluminum electronics enclosure with a polycarbonate hatch in the back.
As you can imagine I only have a good signal when the printer is oriented so that the back is directed to the antenna of the router.
To cover this issue, I installed a separate AP behind the printer. It is a heavy one, so I don't move it easily. Just rolling it around on a couple of sqm for easy access when tinkering…