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submitted 3 weeks ago by edinbruh@feddit.it to c/meshtastic@mander.xyz

I'm curious about trying meshtastic, and I was planning to buy the Wio L1 Tracker once aliexpress sales start. Though, I have read that the antenna isn't quite great, so I was thinking about buying a better one. Also, I'm buying the pro one instead of the oled kit because for 15 extra euros I get both the battery and the assembled case.

The meshtastic website recommends the gizont 10dbi whip antenna for 868 mhz (I'm in europe). The problem is that the antenna comes in sma-male or in rp-sma-male, and I have no idea what connector the tracker has. I know I could just buy an extra ipex connector, but I'd rather keep the original one, rather than spending extra money, considering I'm not even sure to catch any node in my area.

Another question I have is if it's reasonable to use a 10dbi antenna or if it's too high gain, as I see people use ~6dbi antennas for base stations. I'm in an urban area most of the times, but I also plan on using it for hiking, a couple of time in the summer. I know nothing about radios, so I have no idea of how impactful are these numbers.

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[-] edinbruh@feddit.it 1 points 3 weeks ago

What if there is no node in my area? Will a high gain antenna reach farther nodes?

Also, do you have a suggestion for the antenna, or should I just try using the included one and buy another if it doesn't work? I'm worried it might be a 915 antenna instead of 868, because the device allows choosing the frequency.

[-] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

A high gain antenna helps reach weaker signals. It also increases the amount of local noise that is received, and if there are multiple nodes nearby, could cause a lot of cross talk interference by nodes stepping over each other. It is a tradeoff between range and the electrical noise profile of your immediate area, which is why low gains work better in urban places.

Seeing as antennas are easy to swap I'd just run the included one and see what it does. If you don't get any activity go up to the 6DBI.

this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2025
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