I got a CM4 lite. Wifi does not work and shows almost no connectivity even being 2m from the AP. I tried installing the antenna to the two ports in the console and none of them works better than the other
I work with multiple raspberry pi, esp32, … and none of them has had this problem. I need to try 20 times to just load google.com
Anybody else has this problem or is this a faulty unit/antenna?
There are reports that the CM4 lite defaults to using the internal intenna instead of the external. Select it by adding dtparam=ant2 to your /boot/config.txt and rebooting:
sudo sh -c 'echo "dtparam=ant2" >> /boot/config.txt'
Remember to follow the build instructions, the antenna wire connects to the CM4 module and not to the uConsole main board.
that said, I use an external USB WiFi adapter for mine. A cheap one with a big rubber antenna ( RT5370 Chip). I do this because my reception at my house is so poor with all devices, not just the uConsole.
It looks like the original FPC 2.4G/5G antenna for uConsole is not that powerful on my side, and I have to replace it due to poor signal. Here is a picture of my new PCB antenna.
My situation is not that bad as yours, and I can still maintain a stable and fast enough connection within 3m from the AP. The new antenna greatly improve the connectivity.
Where did you buy that one?
But it’s so strange: exactly in the same place where I get no connectivity with the uConsole (also tried with the back lid open), I can perfectly connect with an ESP8266 or an RPI4, both of them with no antenna.
I bought the antenna on Taobao. It’s 49mm long and 8mm wide, 0.8mm thick, advertised having 5dB gain. I think you’ll find similar ones on aliexpress. I chose this one just because it has a suitable size.
BTW my esp based devices with on board antenna are also working great in the same environment.