Banana Pi BPI-R4 Wifi 7 BE14 - Pigtails and Antennas

[EAN]

Hi. I bought this product https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005007523900753.html?spm=a2g2w.orderdetail.0.0.2fcb4aa6kYnJBT&sku_id=12000041139429865 But the board is different from the original in the photo and video. Some elements are not soldered. Is this ok? ))

https://youtu.be/hg5pSbc_C68?si=77shEJDUVtInkf4a&t=69

Other topics (more suitable) are closed for some reason.

Edit: offtopic,but answered here: Banana Pi BPI-R4 Wifi 7 BE14 - missing components - #2 by simon

[Betonmischer]

My board is missing those SMDs too. It’s common practice for electronics manufacturers to cut out superfluous components going from a prototype to a release product. Nothing to worry about.

[Lorem_amicus (Michael Fischer)]

Sorry to tell you that, but their is an explanation why the other (more suitable) topics are closed:

Because these people have done what you have done …

As you have already noticed is this the chat for pigtails and antennas. NOT for missing components!

I created a new chat for your topic:

Banana Pi BPI-R4 Wifi 7 BE14 - missing components

[grafik] [grafik] [Banana Pi BPI-R4 MediaTek MT7988A (Filogic 880) OpenWRT Wifi 7 Router complete instI-allation video] [grafik]

The button to create a new topic is on the main page at the bottom right :

https://forum.banana-pi.org/

[Thanks]

There are several tri-band dipole antennas for WiFi 7 from different brands for sale on Mouser and DigiKey:

• Mouser
• DigiKey

.

Here they sell the new tri-band dipole antenna for WiFi 7 from ALFA Network:

• ALFA ARS-NT5B7

Information

I have asked ALFA Network on their official website if this new WiFi 7 antenna really exists and if Rockland is an authorized distributor and they answered me this:

[SpectreDev]

What’s the best antenna I could buy

[Thanks]

I think these pigtails with right angle RP-SMA connector and RG178 cable would be better for BPI-R4 and BPI-R3 than the regular ones, maybe the length of the cables should be 20 cm for BPI-R4 and 25 cm for BPI-R3:

AliExpress Links:

• RP-SMA F Right Angle: TUOLNK (5PCS) - BEVOTOP (2PCS) - BEVOTOP (10PCS)

  

To pass the antenna wires under the board and make it look nice and clean, as @as_jt shows here:

Banana pi R3 fan with PWM

My cooling system. [20230304_220045]

[Thanks]

@SpectreDev

What’s the best antenna I could buy

About the tri-band antennas mentioned above, I don’t know, someone has to buy the antennas and test them in the real world, maybe @VA1DER can find out by looking at the datasheets.

According to @VA1DER the order of the antennas from the best to good, would be like this:

Dipole antenna

1. Taoglas: GW.52.A153 ---------------------------------- (Datasheet)
2. TE Connectivity: ANT-W63WS6-IPW1-RPS ----- (Datasheet)
3. KYOCERA AVX: X1005800-W5DRMB ------------- (Datasheet)
4. Amphenol RF: ST1228-40-501-A ------------------- (Datasheet)
5. Taoglas: GW.59.3153 ----------------------------------- (Datasheet)
6. Joymax: TWX-614XRS3B ----------------------------- (Datasheet)
7. Joymax: TWX-180BRS3B ----------------------------- (Datasheet)
8. Joymax: TWX-721XRS3B ----------------------------- (Datasheet)
9. ALFA Network: ARS-NT5B7 -------------------------- (Datasheet)

Monopole antenna

• Siretta: DELTA37/SMAM/RP/S/36 ------------------- (Datasheet)

.

I’ve added one of the best monopole antennas in case anyone wants to test it.

Information about dipole and monopole antennas:

• What is the difference between a monopole and dipole antenna?
• What is the difference between a dipole and a monopole antenna? Which one is better for WiFi communication, and why?
• What are the advantages of a dipole antenna over a monopole as dipoles are more commonly used?
• Monopole vs Dipole Antenna
• Difference between Dipole Antenna and Monopole Antenna
• All About Wireless: Antenna Types and Characteristics
• Dipole or monopole?

@Quora Bot

A monopole antenna and a dipole antenna are both common types of antennas used in various applications, including WiFi communication. Here’s a breakdown of their differences and advantages:

Monopole Antenna

• Structure: A monopole antenna consists of a single radiating element, typically mounted above a conductive surface (ground plane). It is essentially half of a dipole antenna.
• Length: The length of a monopole is usually a quarter of the wavelength (λ/4) of the frequency it is designed to transmit or receive.
• Radiation Pattern: Monopole antennas typically have an omnidirectional radiation pattern in the horizontal plane, meaning they radiate equally in all directions around the vertical axis.
• Impedance: They typically have an impedance of about 36.5 ohms, but when used with a ground plane, they can be matched to standard 50-ohm systems.

Dipole Antenna

• Structure: A dipole antenna consists of two radiating elements, each a quarter wavelength long, making the total length half of the wavelength (λ/2).
• Length: The total length is λ/2, and each arm is λ/4.
• Radiation Pattern: Dipole antennas also have an omnidirectional radiation pattern, but they tend to have a slightly different distribution of radiation strength, with nulls (areas of reduced signal) along the axis of the dipole.
• Impedance: A typical dipole antenna has an impedance of about 73 ohms.

Comparison for WiFi Communication

• Performance: Both antennas can be effective for WiFi communication. However, dipole antennas generally offer better performance in terms of gain and bandwidth, especially in environments with obstacles or interference.
• Size and Design: Monopole antennas are often smaller and easier to implement, making them suitable for compact devices (like mobile phones and some WiFi routers). Dipole antennas can be larger and may require more space.
• Installation: Dipole antennas may require more careful positioning to optimize their performance due to their radiation pattern, while monopole antennas can often be easier to install.

Conclusion

For WiFi communication, the choice between a monopole and a dipole antenna depends on the specific application and environment. If space is limited and a compact design is necessary, a monopole may be preferable. However, for optimal performance, especially in terms of gain and coverage, a dipole antenna is generally considered better.

In practice, the decision may also be influenced by other factors such as cost, availability, and specific design requirements of the WiFi system being used.

@Quora Bot

Dipole antennas are often preferred over monopole antennas for several reasons. Here are some key advantages of dipole antennas:

1. Radiation Pattern: Dipole antennas typically have a more uniform radiation pattern, often providing better omnidirectional coverage in the horizontal plane. This makes them suitable for applications where a consistent coverage area is needed.
2. Efficiency: Dipole antennas can be more efficient in certain configurations, especially when properly matched to the feed line. They can radiate energy more effectively because they do not rely on ground reflection for their radiation pattern as much as monopoles do.
3. Bandwidth: Dipole antennas can offer wider bandwidth compared to monopole antennas, especially when designed with specific materials or configurations. This makes them suitable for applications requiring a range of frequencies.
4. Impedance Matching: Dipole antennas typically have a higher feed point impedance (around 73 ohms for a center-fed dipole) compared to monopoles, which can simplify impedance matching with certain feed lines.
5. Ground Dependency: Monopole antennas require a good ground plane for effective operation, as they rely on the ground for reflected signals. Dipoles are less dependent on ground conditions, making them more versatile in various environments.
6. Construction and Size: Dipole antennas can be easier to construct and deploy in certain situations. They can be made from simple materials and can be scaled for different frequencies without significant complexity.
7. Polarization: Dipole antennas can be easily configured for different polarizations (horizontal or vertical) by changing their orientation, providing flexibility for specific communication needs.
8. Reduced Interference: In some cases, dipole antennas can exhibit reduced interference from ground-based noise sources compared to monopoles, making them suitable for sensitive applications.

In summary, while both dipole and monopole antennas have their applications, dipoles offer advantages in terms of radiation patterns, efficiency, bandwidth, and versatility, which often makes them the preferred choice in many scenarios.

@Sahir Ahmed

Dipole is better for WiFi communication as external dipole antennas can be controlled directionally. Thus, if the antennas are perfectly positioned, they can provide a stronger signal in a given direction. Directionally controlling signals works best outdoors where there are few obstacles to signals.

@Imam Hasan

As it has been pointed out monopole antenna acts as dipole virtual antenna after getting nearby reflections. The other advantage of dipole antenna is electromagnetic field pattern, which covers far more area than monopole antenna. Dipole coverage also tends to be less lossy than monopole as well. Since, in dipole two poles always maintain different polarity, it takes half peak voltage (but same power) to produce same signal strength of monopole antenna.

[SpectreDev]

wow, theyre expensive, are they charging for 1 antenna or 2

[Thanks]

“Cheap is expensive”

The older ARS-NT5B dual band antenna from ALFA Network is cheap on eBay:

• 3 antennas for $14 (older model, not the new tri-band model)
• 4 antennas for $18 (older model, not the new tri-band model)

Maybe you can buy three ARS-NT5B dual band antennas for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and three tri-band antennas mentioned in the next post for the 6/7 GHz band.

And if you want the best antennas for all bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6/7 GHz) then buy 6 good tri-band antennas, although it will be more expensive.

[VA1DER (Kurt Fitzner)]

@Thanks

• TE Connectivity: ANT-W63WS6-IPW1-RPS ----- (Datasheet)
• Taoglas: GW.52.A153 ---------------------------------- (Datasheet)
• ALFA Network: ARS-NT5B7 ------------------------- (Datasheet)

The first two have good data sheets. The third has a very weak one.

Antenna 1 and 2 look to have similar characteristics. Antenna 2’s data sheet is more comprehensive and includes data on the ground plane in two orientations. For our purposes, the closest match is “On 9x15 ground plane bent”. Antenna 2 appears to be a little superior to 1 for 2.4GHz efficiency with ground plane. It’s hard to compare them at 5 and 6 GHz because antenna 2 splits their data into different board orientations, and antenna 1 doesn’t. That said, I suspect antenna 1’s orientation is 15x9, or at least it looks that way in the diagram, and if that’s the case then antenna 2 appears to have somewhat better efficiency at 5 and 6 GHz also.

Antenna 3 only publishes VSWR data and it appears to be free-space measurements only, so it’s really hard to compare.

@SpectreDev

wow, theyre expensive, are they charging for 1 antenna or 2

When someone goes to all the work to create proper data sheets free-space and ground-plane VSWR/Return Loss/efficiency charts and proper 3d radiation patterns, that bumps the price up.

[adri]

Why would you need tri-band antenna’s? The BPI-R4 uses 3 dual-band antenna connections for the combined 2.4/5 GHz band and 3 single band antenna connections for the 6 Ghz band. I would invest in 3 good dual-band 2.4/5 GHz antenna’s and 3 good single band 6 GHz antenna’s.

[Thanks]

Thank you very much for your comment and your help.

[SpectreDev]

Yeah ok, I’m convinced on buying 6 of antenna 2, as the antennas that comes with the wifi card are horrible, the barely work on the 2nd floor of my house

[SpectreDev]

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it, gonna buy the rg178 cables from Tuolnk and the 6x antennas from taoglas

[Thanks]

If it’s not too much trouble, could you give me your opinion about this older tri-band antenna from Taoglas compared to the previous ones:

• Taoglas: GW.59.3153 ----- (Datasheet)

[VA1DER (Kurt Fitzner)]

The dip in return loss falls outside the 2.4GHz frequency range on the board orientation that best matches the R4, which is unfortunate. It may be a little poorer performing at 2.4GHz. I like how closely the efficiency curves match between straight and bent (bent tends to be worse), but they don’t publish those curves broken down by board orientation. All the board orientation breakdowns are just return loss at 2.4GHz. So it’s really hard to compare. What I see looks good, and if those efficiency numbers pan out it’s a good antenna. But it’s hard to know how it will perform on an R4 bent.

[Thanks]

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom.

[SpectreDev]

So best to go for the other one I guess

[Thanks]

As far as I know, and I may be wrong, both tri-band dipole antennas from Taoglas are good, but the “gain” of the older antenna is 3 dBi on most bands and the “gain” of the newer antenna is 5 dBi on most bands; the one with higher gain ratings will give you a little extra range, but you pay more for it.

Information about antenna “gain”:

• How Antenna Gain affects Range in FPV
• dBi, dB, dBm dB(mW): Defined, Explained and Differentiated
• Antenna Gain Explanation
• To Gain or Not to Gain…That is the Antenna Question
• 8dbi vs 5.8dbi vs 3dbi - Which cables & connectors to choose to reduce signal loss?

@VA1DER

First, remember that about 99% of the antennas that say they are 5dBi gain are really just dipoles that have an actual gain of 2.14dBi. So don’t be too trusting of those dB gain numbers you see.

Next remember that “gain” in an antenna isn’t actual gain in the sense you get from an amplifier. It’s shaping/sensitivity in a particular direction at the expense of loss in another. The “i” means isotropic, which is a theoretical antenna that is a perfectly omnidirectional radiator. 5dBi means in one direction or plane the antenna radiates more strongly by 5dB, and in other areas it radiates 5dB weaker. Here is the radiation pattern of a standard dipole, looking at it from the side. Don’t look at the ring numbers, the outer ring is actually set to 2.14dBi, which is the actual gain of a dipole.

You will naturally get more than the normal 2.14dBi dipole “gain” just because you have more than one dipole. As I mentioned, two dipoles tend to focus the signal not just in the squished plane of a single dipole, but also linearly (like the CB radios example).

My advice is to use normal dipoles and if there is extra shaping you want to do, arrange the antennae in such a way as their mutual emission pattern shapes the signal.

@VA1DER

For gain, as mentioned, MOST of the gain numbers in ads on Ali Express or even Amazon are fairy tales. A dipole gives 2.14dBi gain. A thee element colinear might give 5 or 6dBi gain but will be 40cm long. To get the 8-12dBi gain claimed by some, you’d need a colinear antenna that’s a good 1m long. These exist, but aren’t really practical.

The gain of those antenna shapes the signal to be more and more like a frisbee (a dipole is like a donut), flattening it out. Maybe good for single-floor, but very strongly polarized, and harder to make efficient and broadband.

I tend to stick with normal dipoles

[SpectreDev]

Cool thanks, the stock ones are horrible I can’t even get a signal upstairs in my house and if I do it’s running at 5mbps lol, compared to my router provided by isp that can do 300mbos in my weakest room