You can add an external wifi antenna to the ESP32. To do that, scratch the internal antenna traces to get a nice soldering surface. Cut the traces on the red marks as shown in the picture and solder a SMA to IPEX cable on the scratched surfaces. The cable has an outer wire mesh which is the antenna ground, and an inner wire core, which is used for the signal. On the ESP32, the long trace is the signal, the short one is the ground. Proceed to solder them accordingly. Test the continuity of them to make sure it doesn't have any short (On the multimeter, they should not be connected)

The cuts on the existing antenna traces of the ESP32 should be carved deep enough just to interrupt the traces, but be careful not to damage the whole pcb. You can add a silicone glue drop, bi-component glue or epoxy reisin on top of the soldered surface to prevent any unwanted damage that may occur by moving the cable. This will ensure your soldering will keep in place firmly.


If you finished this step, you may proceed to Setting up the Neopixel WS2812 LED Strip