Tutorial: ESP32 / BC24 Extending your WiFi Range 
In this tutorial, we are going to show how to extend the WiFi range of the an ESP32 by modifying the built in PCB antenna.
What is the ESP32?
The ESP32 is an awesome processor. It has 2 CPU cores, lots of memory and has really interesting stuff built in like capacitive touch sensors, a Digital to Analog Converter (think Music out from your BC24!), lots of GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) for your projects and a robust I2C bus for connecting to your sensors.
Programmable with the Arduino IDE.
What is the BC24?
The BC24 is a flexible way to display all sorts of data while being able to communicate with other devices and the Internet. It is a board that you can plug in your sensors and create new things!
The BC24 consists of three major parts:
1) Dual CPU ESP32 Central Processor with WiFi and Bluetooth
2) The 24 RGBW Programmable LED Pixel Circle
3) No Solder Grove Connectors for expansion!
The RGBW (Red Green Blue White) Pixels are completely programmable (millions of colors) and includes a bright white LED to give you pure warm white. These programmable pixels are 100% compatible with NeoPixels.
The Grove connectors allow you to easily and safely connect hundreds of sensors (and more Pixel strips if you want!) with no soldering. And you CAN’T plug them in backwards. Fewer boards in the Box of Death.
How to Extend your Range by Extending your Antenna
In this tutorial we are going to create a “whip antenna” for simplicity. We will show how to build a simple “dipole antenna” (for even more gain) in a future article.
Step 1) Cut the Antenna PCB with an X-acto Knife
Step 2) Scrape off the insulation on the Antenna trace.
Step 3) Cut a hookup wire to make our Antenna. This wire should be an odd multiple ( i.e. 3/4, 5/4, 7/4 etc.) of the wavelength of the 2.4GHz signal. So it should be ~3.25cm (1.28in) for 1/4 or or ~9.75cm (3.84in) for 3/4 wavelength. Strip about 2mm of insulation off of one end and bend it at 90 degrees.
Step 4) Solder a Wire on to the exposed Antenna trace. You should tin the wire before soldering to the board and tin the scraped Antenna trace also if possible. You can also put a spot of silicon caulking on the soldered wire/board to improve physical stability.
Enjoy your longer range Antenna!
Conclusion
We saw an increase of WiFi Range by about 2x times versus the internal antenna on the ESP32.
