No difference seen when external antenna is connected

[Youssif]

Hi

We want to do range testing using our product and an nRF52832 development kit. We've purchased an external antenna and a connecter in order to extend the range compared to using the onboard antenna on the nRF52832 kit. However, we are not seeing any difference and the range is exactly the same. Is there a way to confirm if the external antenna is working properly? Or anything we can do to aid us in our investigation as to why the range is still the same?

Thanks
Youssif

[Kazi Afroza Sultana]

Hello Youssif,

It is not guaranteed to increase the range by an external antenna. If the antenna gain is similar to the gain of the PCB antenna there will be little to no difference in range. We do not have any measured antenna gain for the PCB antenna on the DK, so it is not that straightforward to say if the external antenna is similar. There is also some power loss caused by the cable needed to use an external antenna which can reduce the possible increase in antenna gain.

Thanks.

Best Regards,

Kazi Afroza Sultana