How to identify the type of antenna connector that is used on the Keenetic router's body? What connector should be on the external antenna when connecting to the Keenetic router?
Some Keenetic models have removable antennas, so you can connect an external LTE/4G or Wi-Fi antenna. Two types of connectors are used on the body of the device: SMA and RP-SMA.
TIP: Note: It is not the pin, but the threads that define the type of connector. In SMA and RP-SMA, a female connector always has an external thread, and a male connector has an internal thread. The male is always screwed on top.
A plug is when the thread is internal.
A Jack is when the thread is external.
Removable LTE/4G antennas
Keenetic Hero 4G+ (KN-2311), Runner 4G (KN-2211), Hero 4G (KN-2310) and Runner 4G (KN-2210) have connectors on the case to attach external LTE/4G broadband cellular antennas (for the built-in LTE/4G/3G modem). Two removable LTE antennas are included. For operation at greater distances from base stations, installing an optional outdoor MIMO antenna instead of the supplied indoor LTE antennas is possible.
Keenetic Hero 4G (KN-2310) and Runner 4G (KN-2210) use a female SMA connector, and therefore, the external antenna to be connected (purchased separately) must be equipped with a male SMA connector:
As the plug-in connection consists of two parts, all (threaded) connectors are of two types, paired to each other - with a pin part and with a socket part (a hole).
SMA connectors have an internal or external thread and, respectively, a pin or a socket (hole) in the centre.
SMA connectors come in two variants:
| SMA with a male connector part |
|
| SMA with a female connector part |
|
Removable Wi-Fi antennas
Some Keenetic models have removable Wi-Fi antennas and are equipped with a jack for an external Wi-Fi antenna (purchased separately).
Keenetic Giant (KN-2610) and Keenetic Peak (KN-2710) have removable antennas:
It uses a pin-type RP-SMA connector on the body:
RP-SMA (Reverse Polarity SMA, sometimes referred to as SMA-R) connectors have the opposite of the SMA connector: where the thread is internal, there is a hole in the middle, and where the thread is external, there is a pin in the middle. The RP-SMA type of connector is also referred to as reverse polarity SMA connectors.
RP-SMA connectors come in two variants:
| RP-SMA with a male connector part |
|
| RP-SMA with a female connector part |
|
As the Keenetic Giant (KN-2610) router body uses the female RP-SMA connector type with a pin:
The external antenna to be connected must be a male connector RP-SMA with socket:
On the Keenetic Giant, the antennas are separated by a band, one after another. When viewed from the front of the device, the antennas are arranged as follows:
The Peak model supports MIMO 4x4, and therefore, all antennas are dual-band.
NOTE: Important! The internal path from the built-in Wi-Fi or 4G/3G radio module to the SMA/RP-SMA connector has a wave-making resistance of 50 Ohm. It is recommended to connect an external antenna and cable assembly with the same wave-made resistance.