I've been reading on other forums that some plugin USB antennas do a good job improving the WiFi performance on the FT3. The two I've seen mentioned are the Edimax 7711UAn based on Ralink RT3070 chipset and the Skylink 1504n based on the Realtek 8191SU chipset. Supposedly they work plug and play if the WiFi switch on the FT3 has to be turned off. Can anyone on this forum confirm that these or any similar devices work? I've been reading on other forums that some plugin USB antennas do a good job improving the WiFi performance on the FT3. The two I've seen mentioned are the Edimax 7711UAn based on Ralink RT3070 chipset and the Skylink 1504n based on the Realtek 8191SU chipset. Supposedly they work plug and play if the WiFi switch on the FT3 has to be turned off. Can anyone on this forum confirm that these or any similar devices work? Yes, I can confirm the EDIMAX EW7711 UAN adapter works fine as you describe. It arrived with an extension cable and a weighted, vertical base holder to allow the dongle to be further removed from the tablet if desired, or it fits directly into the tab's USB and swivels to the vertical so it looks the DB's Click to expand... I'm not at all sure this will help you much with a range problem. All the internal antenna I have seen have all been passive. They are dipole based, either wire or etched copper patch. They will all perform about the same. What you really need to do to improve the signal reception and transmission is to get a properly matched antenna clear of obstructions and sources of RFI. Better placement of an internal antenna could provide a performance improvement but no-where near as good as getting the antenna clear of the casing. I'm not at all sure this will help you much with a range problem. All the internal antenna I have seen have all been passive. They are dipole based, either wire or etched copper patch. They will all perform about the same. What you really need to do to improve the signal reception and transmission is to get a properly matched antenna clear of obstructions and sources of RFI. Better placement of an internal antenna could provide a performance improvement but no-where near as good as getting the antenna clear of the casing. If you are willing to open the case and do a bit of fussy soldering, look for posts by kb7urx. He can tell you exactly how to proceed to add an antenna that will greatly improve wifi reception. Note: kb7urx is an experienced electronics technician. If you are not, you might want to try another solution! If you are willing to open the case and do a bit of fussy soldering, look for posts by kb7urx. He can tell you exactly how to proceed to add an antenna that will greatly improve wifi reception. Note: kb7urx is an experienced electronics technician. If you are not, you might want to try another solution! Thanks mburwen, but I don't need to improve the wifi in my tablet, I have all the range I need from the internal antenna and an external dongle if I go somewhere where I am struggling for range. I am pretty sure I would be aware of the advice kb7urx would be giving as I am also a licensed radio amateur and am not a novice in the field of antenna characteristics. I got in contact with the head of Edimax' US office and discussed the antenna subject with him. It uses the same Ralink series chipset. EW-7711UAn is 1T1R 1 transmit, 1 receive 150 Mbps Ralink RT3070 EW-7722UTn is 2T2R 2 transmits, 2 receives 300 Mbps Ralink RT3072 It is the same Linux driver, so if the 7711 works, it should work too and deliver even better performance. It is also smaller than the 7711. I'll report the results here. I got in contact with the head of Edimax' US office and discussed the antenna subject with him. It uses the same Ralink series chipset. EW-7711UAn is 1T1R 1 transmit, 1 receive 150 Mbps Ralink RT3070 EW-7722UTn is 2T2R 2 transmits, 2 receives 300 Mbps Ralink RT3072 It is the same Linux driver, so if the 7711 works, it should work too and deliver even better performance. It is also smaller than the 7711. I'll report the results here. Also, I wonder if it will have the same range. As the 2T2R has two, internal antenna, the 150Mb version UAn has a +3dB omni antenna, that means it theoretically has twice the range... Has anybody tried de-soldering the existing internal wifi module and replacing it with one of these free-standing wifi modules you guys have. The power and data connections on the existing one are afterall, USB! That particular USB channel might be dedicated for just that purpose. Although I have a sneaking suspicion it's not Click to expand... You do realise the quoted 1. DE are renown at quoting these silly performance figures.... It should be better than the internal wifi though!! Post a report when you have had a chance to try it please...... Has anybody tried de-soldering the existing internal wifi module and replacing it with one of these free-standing wifi modules you guys have. The power and data connections on the existing one are afterall, USB! That particular USB channel might be dedicated for just that purpose. Although I have a sneaking suspicion it's not Click to expand... The WiFi was one of the things they had upgraded. I will see if I can find the link... You do realise the quoted 1. DE are renown at quoting these silly performance figures.... It should be better than the internal wifi though!! Post a report when you have had a chance to try it please...... I tried out the Edimax EW-7711UAn today and it works - sort of. The Wifi range is extended from about 40 feet max to about 75 feet, but I had hoped for better than that. Others have reported that the WiFi switch needs to be turned off when using this antenna, but I find that it doesn't make a difference. The Head of the Edimax US office is going to look into the driver situation if he has time. If he learns anything interesting, I'll report it here. He claims to be a Linus expert. Sidenote: THe Edimax antenna comes with a short USB extension cable. Theoretically, performance should improve if the antenna is not next to the case. I find the opposite. I'm getting better reception without the extender. If anyone has the same EW-7711UAn antenna I have, try it with and without the extender and see if it matters.
