Antenna and signal
Both Wi-Fi and Zigbee operate at 2.4 GHz, and meters are frequently installed in the worst possible place for that: a metal cabinet, a basement, or a recess in an outside wall.
ZiggyMeter uses a detachable external antenna on an SMA connector rather than a PCB antenna, so this is fixable without replacing the device.
Connector
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 2.4 GHz |
| Antenna connector | SMA male |
| Enclosure connector | SMA female |
Any 2.4 GHz antenna with an SMA male connector will fit. The same antenna serves Wi-Fi and Zigbee — they share the radio.
When to use a different antenna
Consider changing the antenna if:
- The meter is inside a metal cabinet with the door closed
- The device is in a basement or behind thick masonry
- Wi-Fi RSSI is worse than about −75 dBm, or Zigbee link quality is poor
- Readings arrive but the device is often unreachable in the browser
Check the current figures on WiFi → Status (RSSI) or on your Zigbee coordinator (LQI/RSSI).
Placement
- Route the antenna outside the cabinet if possible, as high as practical, with a clear line of sight to your access point or coordinator.
- Keep the coaxial lead short and avoid sharp bends — cable loss at 2.4 GHz is significant and a long thin lead can cost more than the extra placement gains.
- Keep clear of large metal surfaces and sources of interference: switch-mode power supplies, electric motors, and the meter's own current-carrying busbars.
- Orient the antenna vertically for most access points, which are also vertically polarised.
Verify the improvement
Do not guess — measure before and after:
- Note the current RSSI on WiFi → Status, or the LQI on your coordinator.
- Change the antenna or its position.
- Reconnect and compare. A 6–10 dB improvement is a meaningful change; 1–2 dB is noise.
Zigbee has another option
If the radio path is genuinely bad, a better antenna is not always the answer. Zigbee is a mesh: adding a mains-powered Zigbee router (a smart plug, for instance) between the meter cabinet and the coordinator gives the device a much shorter hop to make. This often works better than any antenna change, and it costs less.
See Zigbee setup.