yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Acer Iconia A500] willbur73:
So what about upgrading the actual wifi card to a better one that supports 5ghz also? I am assuming the card itself is the limiting factor there. And if the card from the moto zoom were used then honeycomb should support theoretically since the Xoom was mostly stock android.
[Acer Iconia A500] WereCatf:
It's not a discrete piece of hardware, you cannot just change it.
[Acer Iconia A500] willbur73:
got it's thanks werecatf. I do laptop repair ,mostly so I just assumed it had a real card. Makes sense to all be integrated.

I'm going to try some other antenna's and see what works best.
[Acer Iconia A500] OniShiro:
I got an acer A500 yesterday, updated the firmware and android version to 3.2 but the wifi signal is quite bad.

The photos are too small and I don't understand them too well.

Any change of a more detailed tutorial? I'm afraid to break the device I just bought by trying to change the antena.

Is the old antenna soldered? did you leave the old antenna in the case and added the new one? or removed completely the old antenna? Do you need to solder or desolder stuff to change the antenna?

Thanks.
[Acer Iconia A500] gbarcino:
Its all integrated,look at the pictures....if you fix laptops....
[Acer Iconia A500] gbarcino:
read all post,all the information is here on how to do it,bigger photos will be difficult as it is a mobile camera...like any mod,there is all ways risk involved.
[Acer Iconia A500] erica_renee:
THE Inside of the iconia is much less complicated then many of the OEM laptops.

With that said my wifi works quite well thou when im not home i think there should be wifi better signal . like doc office and so on..
[Acer Iconia A500] xceebeex:
You must sit in the same room as your router at home for you to consider it working quite well, unless you got a freak a500. I had to set up an access point to extend my wireless in my house just to get a consistent signal at all and my house is not that big and is pretty open.
[Acer Iconia A500] JdgM3NT4L:
Wow I am starting to feel lucky, my Iconia is routinely used from 65 feet away. And that is through 2 walls. Ones a thick outer wall and the other is a sheet metal wall. This is from the house to the little camper out back. I don't get 5 bars or anything. But I do get 2-3.

Of course my Atrix has more bars, 3-4 instead of 2-3. But golly, after reading this I really think mine must be one of those 'freak A500s'...

Something that I just thought of. I did check my wifi channels to be certain that I was on the most clear, interference free channel. But that's probably not relevant. Just thought that I'd toss it out there.
[Acer Iconia A500] kaptaink26:
Gbarcino, you seem to be the master of the attaching of a new antenna and the keeper of this knowledge. I, like OniShiro above, have a bit of technical difficulties in weaving together the process to put in a new antenna. I am very grateful of all your postings so far, but I feel like I am still unable to go forth and repeat the process. And while you need not answer any of the following questions...I really don't have anywhere else to go (no youtube videos, etc.). Anywho, the first question is, you say that you used a desolder to remove the old chord connection, and in your first image close up pic. you show the antenna, and then in the next pic you have it zoomed out, looking at the entire device, but in that picture, the antenna is not labeled, nor is the chord that the antenna is attached too, so, I am having difficult time imagining the location of the chord/antenna that needs to be desoldered. In the link to the techrepublic site where it shows the guts of the a500, it isn't clear on which/where is the old antenna. 2.) is desolder something difficult to do? I don't know much about soldering or desoldering for that matter. 3.) Do you have to solder on the new antenna chord on the exact spot you took the old one off of? Or does the new antenna with its chord just snap on somewhere...sorry if some (or all) of these question seem basic or juevenile, but I really would like a smokin' fast wifi signal and the antenna that came with the a500 just doesn't do it. Any additional help would allow for we underlings to rise above technical mediocrity.
[Acer Iconia A500] haag498:
If you have your tab on its screen, dock connector towards you (as in the second picture) the original antenna is in the upper left corner of the device. In all of the pictures, the old antenna cable has already been removed. The black cable on the right half of the device is the new antenna cable (the antenna is where the right plastic cover used to be).

Oh and: Soldering (or desoldering, for that matter) isn't hard to do, just make sure you read some proper documentation (plenty of hobbyist sites on the internet!) on how to do it right and try it a few times on something less expensive...
[Acer Iconia A500] xceebeex:
So has anyone else tried this? Anyone found any other vendors for a replacement antenna?
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
Wonder if sparkfun.org has any of these.
[Acer Iconia A500] loialotter:
Unfortunately it doesn't look like it, but they do have an adapter so you could have an external antenna: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9145

The process is quite simple:

1) disconnect current antenna (the connector is near the top edge and has a black coax that runs to the antenna which is located near the charge jack)

2) [Optional] de-solder the coax from the antenna or remove the old antenna

3) glue the new antenna into place

4) connect the new antenna to the U.FL jack.

I haven't been able to find a North American supplier for these or any other antennas that would work, but I'm sure there's one somewhere.

It's too bad there's only one antenna jack otherwise having an internal antenna with optional external jack would be a cool mod for the tablet.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
Damn if this was last year, the company I worked for used those assume of their products

Im see if mcmaster Carr has these
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
That's a no from mcmaster carr
[Acer Iconia A500] AZKJS:
I have been seriously thinking about doing an external antenna mod on my a500 but haven't found the courage to tear into it like that.

before I go that far I am going to try a few antennas that "should" work better.

An Internal Wifi Antenna from a Nintendo DS...

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/repair...antenna-module-and-mic-set-for-nds-lite-25130

and

the same thing from a Sony PSP.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/repair-parts-replacement-wifi-antenna-module-for-psp-1000-37788

They are small enough to fit without issue and the price is right so Ill let you know when they get here.

I have been buying stuff to build custom LED flashlights from DealExtreme for years their shipping is literally a slow boat from China but its free and I always get it.

If I am not happy with these internals I will take loialotter's link and get me that adapter and do my External antenna and hope to get enough signal to leave the room the router calls home and venture off into my living room maybe!
[Acer Iconia A500] jvillejoe:
I use wifi manager on the market to tell me my signal strength. I use it on my tab and 3 other phones and compared the 4 devices together from all locations in my house. all show the same signal. I just bought the tab around 7 days ago so I am not sure if the issue has been solved with the new a500s or I have a freak a500 as well. By the looks of it everything is the same on all devices.
[Acer Iconia A500] dincdoes.me:
I'll be doing this since my WiFi is freaking terrible on my a500 I have 50mbps with a netgear that can disperse 100mpbs or greater. I can't play onlive games for more than 5minutes .. even sitting right next to my router... Has anyone with stock antenna noticed crap for wifi?
[Acer Iconia A500] tlyonstlyons:
Generally, my wireless performance has been OK but it is tempting to make it better.

Here's a datasheet for the antenna:

ht tp: // w w w. delock. com / view / pdf / 86135 / A / 3898 /

The connector is a I-PEX/Hirose U.Fl connector. This is pretty standard so you have a lot choices for a replacement; most laptops use the same thing. You do want a 2.4GHz antenna. You could even get a U.Fl to RP SMA adapter and mount an external antenna.

*BUT* I would bet a nickel that much of the problem is from the placement of the antenna. If the existing antenna can be moved in the case, it might improve the problem. That said, be careful. Hirose connectors are very prone to damage.
[Acer Iconia A500] maris__:
*** Sorry, wrong thread ***
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
your on, now to find something to pry my baby open without scratches
[Acer Iconia A500] FloatingFatMan:
This thread is about wifi connectivity, not GPS. Please try to read before posting.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
well opened it up and re-laid the stock cable were gbarcino placed his newer cable, results are not better, its one bar less than it usually is, oddly enough YouTube did not buffer a hq video, im gonna flash a stock rom and see the results, stupid i know but i'm try
[Acer Iconia A500] CuriousTech:
This looks like it should work better on the side edge. If you look at the back and top/bottom front parts, they have an aluminum outer shell that can block the signal, but the sides and rear side panels are plastic. On top or bottom it looks a little harder to keep it away from all the metal. But then testing different placements is usually the best method. :)

Edit: I see, it's still on the side, just the other side. That may cause more crosstalk between the GPS and WiFi so check GPS signal strength as well.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
well after some thought, th original antenna board is held in place by(conductive, was taped to ground) tape

when i first moved i just placed the board on the side the op did, rebooted one bar of wifi where i usually get two. went back after i thought of the tape reapplied some of it to the edge booted back up now sitting at two bars. I only think its conductive due to when the tape is removed there are traces perfectly matched to the tape. If someone who is more versed in this please if have any ideas of the tape id like to try some fresh tape where it is placed now
[Acer Iconia A500] CuriousTech:
That looks like electrical tape, but the antenna could be made of a soft conductive material on a non-conductive plate (ceramic, etc.) and when you peel the tape off, the antenna tears off with it. That would be worst case and you would need to replace the antenna. Hope not.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
they board is very flexable, i do believe the tape does ground the board though, unless they do something else with bond it makes, however when i reapllied the (as much as i could the wifi went back to the levels it was before on either side of the tablet.

I do believe if anyone want to improve the wifi strength of the tablet a better cable will be needed, hopefully when AZKJS gets either of those antenna he can get better results, i do not think moving it to the other side helps at all, cause i cant believe that the battery circuit could be that noisey
[Acer Iconia A500] CuriousTech:
Those antennas should work fine. It doesn't need to be grounded. Ground is evil.

A battery doesn't produce noise, but the foil casing will block the signal. The best position for the antenna is the furthest away from solid metals, like the far edge of the case (side). Right up against that side wall.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
There is something to the tape when I placed the board without tape, it received one bar, and when applying some tape back onto the board in the same fashion as the stock installation did, my wifi signal is back up where it should be. Maybe I shouldn't be tinkering since at half signal strength I'm getting 10mbps anyway. I'm gonna wait and see what happens when they other poster gets those Nintendo ds /PSP cables
[Acer Iconia A500] CuriousTech:
Good idea. I think you should replace it. It sounds like that one is very fragile.

An antenna is pretty easy to make as well. Stripping 15mm or 30mm of shielding can do the same thing. A basic antenna is simply a metallic obect the same length as the wave divided by 1, 2, 4, 8, 16... There are more complex methods, but they work off the same math.
[Acer Iconia A500] :
Lol nice ya I haven't to be within 10 ft in same room to getting 3-4 bars otherwise only 2 or 1 bars around the house ... this looks intriguing
[Acer Iconia A500] AZKJS:
Well I got bored and took the WiFi antenna out of my DSi just cause I couldn't wait any longer the results were not good.

I hope the PSP antenna does better but it looks like getting the antenna outside of the aluminum case will be the best bet.

I moved the stock antenna around inside but where its at stock is the best.

I tried it where the 3g card would sit in the 501 I am guessing, and it was better, but once you pop the back on the signal is blocked by the aluminum.

...Anyway I have ordered that SMA to U.FL cable and will be external soon.

It cant be worse than stock has been for me, doesn't matter what rom I am on I never get more than 1 bar sometimes less and its just killing this tab for me.:mad:
[Acer Iconia A500] CuriousTech:
You could also improve it at least some by moving the router away from other electronics, mount it on a wall, move it closer to the center of the house, or replace the antenna with a higher gain one or even an amplified one but those get expensive. Every little bit helps.
[Acer Iconia A500] sampsas:
Ok so i have been reading this about wifi signal strength and replaceing the antena... So i bought my a500 used ($100) and have a 3 antena DLink 802.11n router upstairs and i get close to max signal out of my tablet sitting in the livingroom downstairs.. When i go over to my friend's house who is using a 2 antena 802.11n router i only get 2 or 3 bars of signal. So from this i conclude that it has to do with a lot of other factors in determining your strngth of signal. Also i live out in the sticks and my closets house to me is about 2 to 4 acres away.... I even get good GPS signal in my house!!!
[Acer Iconia A500] xceebeex:
Nope, this is not the issue. I have the D-Link DIR-655 which was one of the better performing N rotures for quite some time and it has 3 antenna. With that router in the closet of one of the bedrooms at one end of the house and me sitting in the living room about 30-40 feet away (in an fairly open concept home) I would be LUCKY to get one bar sitting on the couch and often times it would show no connection. I would always get no connection in my bedroom which is at the furthest end of the house which is about 50 feet from the router.

So I decided to get an Access Point to put in my living room (like 10 feet from where I sit) and the sad thing is that I STILL don't get full bars, but the internet speed is fine so no big deal. Then in my bedroom which is about another 20 feet away (at most) I barely get one bar.

This is pretty unacceptable IMO. Then I REALLY have problems when I go to other people's homes where obviously they don't extend their signal or anything. So anyone who tries to blame this on a setup or a bad router, or bad home layout is just blind. It is clearly an issue with the hardware.

I really hate to have to debate taking this back to the store because I can't even try another one because where I got it no longer carries it and I am not going to return it and re-buy because I bought it at such a cheap price due to a price mistake, I wouldn't pay full price for one just to potentially find it is almost as bad as the one I have.

I am pretty close to deciding to take it back and try something else. I wish I didn't have to because for the price and connectivity options, the a500 can't really be beat.
[Acer Iconia A500] al2fast:
I tried a laptop antenna with no luck. Iwent as far as leaving the case off the back and turning on and moving the antenna all over the place. Stock antenna did better by 5-7db according to wifianalyzer. I'm running taboonay 2.2 and Richard Trips kernel.
[Acer Iconia A500] JdgM3NT4L:
Not trying to be funny. This actually can help if you don't move around too much.

I know that I am repeating myself on this one, but be sure that you are on a clear channel. Sometimes it doesn't matter. But my 2.4 ghz home phone and/or microwave were killing me. Even so it was never as bad as what you guys have going on here, but the difference was clear for me.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
Don't forget to get an antenna for that external antenna. Hmm this might be a selling point for resell of the a500. Now I'm looking at that rear camera on how to remove it and get that connector in place
[Acer Iconia A500] jonrobertd:
Just wondering if there had been any progress on finding a better antenna?

I have a junk psp and a junk acer aspire1 netbook so might rip those out to try, if I can muster up the courage to disassemble my tab.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
it's not hard at all man, when I pulled mine apart I started in the area where the micro sd goes. Just worked better than the videos I watched.

Just remember this is supposed to be pulled apart sup acer can work on it.

Also if you muster up the courage remove the micro sd before starting.
[Acer Iconia A500] jonrobertd:
�Tearin apart the psp now! Thanks for the advice.
[Acer Iconia A500] JdgM3NT4L:
This looks promising.

http://androidandme.com/2012/02/new...solution-could-revolutionize-mobile-industry/

and

http://gadzetgallery.com/2012/02/ch...will-boost-up-signals-even-under-water-video/

Found via this search http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...01&p=spray on wifi antenna&btf=m&rid=refiner3.

I haven't had any luck finding it for sale. As far as I can tell it is for U.S. government use only for now. If I read correctly it may be released to the public soon.
[Acer Iconia A500] CuriousTech:
Nice find! as I look over at my vinyl cutter and roll of paint mask vinyl thinking of ideas. :)
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
OK was thinking about replacing the antenna again so went searching over on android forums said he had found the antenna type "ipex.u.fl antenna. I'm seeing alot over on ebay just sorting thourgh just looking for a 5dbm one
[Acer Iconia A500] jonrobertd:
Well I have tried a psp fat, slim, and two laptop antennas with worse than stock results. Still searching though!
[Acer Iconia A500] FloatingFatMan:
I'm not sure replacing the antenna will achieve much. However, after installing the ICS leak, I did notice a significant improvement in my wifi signal. I can now stream stuff in my bedroom faultlessly, where it would constantly buffer before.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
The op has had success, it's a three dollar part and a easy switch
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
I bought two I'm going to shorten the wire on one and pray I can play onlive in bed with out my signal dropping to zero and one bars
[Acer Iconia A500] Renegadez:
Were is the 3 dollar part? The one OP listed is a 20 dollar part? Did I miss the cheap one? Thanks Renz

OP Listed part : ($ 17.19)

http://www.conrad.com/DELOCK-UMTS-A...nrad-int&pi=986204&ci=SHOP_AREA_17182_0415193
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
Search the antenna part I mentioned a few posts up, search on eBay.

The antennas should be with me by the weekend so hold off on buying anything
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
ok got it installted, not so much imporvement bars wise but in the bedroom I am getting 70db where before its was 80-85dm so its better i guess, I am not sure if its 5 dm antenna though

http://www.ebay.com/itm/11084795961...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_3576wt_905

theres the link also its larger than what will fit in the side where the antennas go so I stuck it on the plastic part of the tablet back cover :p
[Acer Iconia A500] Renegadez:
So is it worth the work??Or can you tell a difference? Thanks Renz
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
I can tell a difference but its nothing breathtaking but its definatly better

Update

its worth the work i suppose since its not much work to put in.
[Acer Iconia A500] elboby:
I have my new antena on my A500.

Much better signal.

Its really easy to install.

Thanks people!
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
Which one did you use
[Acer Iconia A500] elboby:
The DELOCK UMTS-ANTENNE INTERN 701 5DBI.
[Acer Iconia A500] dabl8:
The ics leak has put an end to the random disconnections for me, but the signal is still weak.
[Acer Iconia A500] gears177:
hmmm i remember modding bluetooth antenas and getting 100 plus more feet on external usb devices.. would it be possible to find one that increased wifi range that much if not maybe bluetooth.
[Acer Iconia A500] happytab:
antenna problem

I read this thread regarding replacing the antenna. Before buying the antenna, figured to take the thing apart and see what I was getting myself in for.

There is a youtube video regarding how to take it apart. Pretty easy.

Found the antenna per the photos posted in this thread.

One point to make, that was not 100% clear to me, but is now that I took mine apart - the antenna is NOT soldered to the board. It is attached with an U.FL connector - it just pops off.

So - this will be very very easy to replace the antenna. Simply buy new one, pull old one out, snap new one into place.

If the new antenna does not have a wire, you may would have to use the old wire, which would require a solder to the antenna, but that is outside the tablet, so fairly safe.

And, last but not least - in snapping off the U.FL connector on my tab, and reconnecting it during my "dry run", I fixed my connection issues! So apparently the connection had come loose in shipping or what have you. I now have the same signal on wifi analyser as my htc inspire, and the other a500 I bought for my daughter. (it was nice having two a500 side by side, so I knew one was fine, one was bad - mine of course).

I plan on seeing how this works out, and may still replace the antenna.
[Acer Iconia A500] nam6678:
New wireless antenna

This antenna might work better, but for those of us that live in America, this company won't send to United States because of insurance or something. The antenna I put in my Acer Tab A500 was from a HP laptop, minus the circuit board. I get 2 to three bars now, and can download a 400 mb file in less than ten minutes.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
ill be updating hopefully tomm, just purchased two new laptop antennas off ebay
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
just got mine new antenna today, and this one is a keeper, from the orginal antenna on the outskirts of my house, getting -75 through -85 db readings in wifi analyerand border line two bar reception indicator.

With antenna I am getting -55 through -65 db, and three to four bars for the indicator.

Here is the item

http://www.ebay.com/itm/19067411199...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1928wt_905
[Acer Iconia A500] snickle:
I just ordered one. Will give my review when it arrives.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
best of luck
[Acer Iconia A500] Skootch:
Brian, did this latest antenna fit inside or did you have to leave part of it outside like on the other antenna you tried?
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
No it fits inside, it comes with both antenna for a laptop, i used the black cabled one. It's very similar to what the OP used, and just put mine where the old antenna used to be, or it could be placed next the gps antenna.
[Acer Iconia A500] Skootch:
Brian, thanks for the quick reply. I ordered one of those antennas.
[Acer Iconia A500] snickle:
I replaced the antenna and better signal.

Warning: Remove your micro sd before you start this process.

I broke my sd card and damaged the socket.

My own fault, but just worth a warning.
[Acer Iconia A500] blueis300:
Id love to have a better signal but dont wanna take the dang thing apart.
[Acer Iconia A500] Skootch:
I finally broke down and took mine apart and installed the antenna from Ebay that I got. I get no change in signal strength, still only two bars despite the wireless router being 10 feet away. Disappointing.
[Acer Iconia A500] BrianDigital:
That sucks, did you buy the last ebay link I posted? Only ten feet away that's bad, perhaps a new fancy wireless router is in your future, unless your walls are painted with lead paint. What was the DB levels before the new antenna?