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[les-70]

  I think the PCB in the HG622 has two U.FL Mini PCI connectors for the WLAN, it certainly has two connectors that look like that in the wireless circuitry.

    see top left the "gold" colored connectors   https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6wW18mYskvBR18tWDJlejFCY00/edit?pli=1

  I have ordered a couple of "Mini PCI U.FL to RP-SMA Antenna WiFi Pigtail Cables" on ebay from Hong Kong at £1.59 for two

           http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221075748847?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 . 

I have couple of RP-SMA antennas so I will  simply connect them and see what happens.   If it improves the wireless I think a permanent mod to add holes for the RP-SMA connector on the back will be quite easy, there looks to be space to fit them in.

  I will have to wait a few weeks for the items but it will keep me amused for a while when they come!

[biohead]

I don't have a HG622 to hand, but they do look like the U.FL connectors... except they look like they're female ones.

[les-70]

  I wondered over the sex and or polarity.  Looking at the actual PCB I think the connector has a central pin which is lower than the outside edge. I would have expected it to be higher.  I am however hoping the connector ordered will fit that as it looks to have central socket.  I did however wonder over the how low the central pin is. I decided that at £1.59 it was worth a try.  If anyone is familiar with these sockets and their variations I would welcome advice.

[les-70]

   Oops    close examination shows it is a probably an MS-156 connector  http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/RF-switch/p/sm/1009699517.htm  which I think is is normally used for a test point.  It seems that sometimes you can connect an aerial to it but most connectors are bulky and I don't think they would fit in the case. 

  This may work but I am suspicious of the MS-156 test point status and it costs more

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/MS156-TO-RP-SMA-Male-jump-cable-RG178-15CM-for-LTE-modem-Yota-LU150-1PC/907723_641087483.html

[burakkucat]

I'm sure Asbokid has discussed the gender of such connectors, elsewhere, in the past. Perhaps he will advise on this, when he next passes by?

[asbokid]

I do vaguely remember a discussion - about the wifi antenna connector on the Huawei HG8240, which turned out not to have wifi any way!  It does look like the MS-156 as Les-70 has noted.

cheers, a

[burakkucat]

Found it. It was actually in the thread about the BT HH3.0B and was ten posts long, starting from here. 

[les-70]

  I still have not managed to get the HG622 USB port to work as an LAN or WAN FTP server for a memory stick.  An FTP server is not much use compared to a NAS drive but has anyone else had a go at that yet. 

 p.s.   I ordered a pair of MS-156 connector leads, see above, but I remain doubtful over whether they will do the job.  According to connector manufacturer, Hirose, they are good for only 30 insertions but can be used as aerial connectors.  To work on the HG622 it depends on just how the antenna circuit is put together.

[burakkucat]

I would prefer to keep all the processing power available for the modem/router basic functionality and, if such storage is required, connect a NAS to one of the LAN ports.

At present, I am just using the first two LAN ports of my HG622, with the WLAN disabled.

[les-70]

  I understand your intent but if your not using the "extras" heavily, or at the same time as other things, they are convenient to have.

[burakkucat]

Indeed, yes. And I am always interested to know the possibilities of a device -- as one day it might be useful.

[asbokid]

I'm interested too :-)    It appears to recognise when the shared directory is valid or not, and in the kernel logs, there is also a log entry about SAMBA, and no USB being inserted so cannot share files.   Not sure where SAMBA came from.

cheers, a

[les-70]

  From a google PDF translate, the O2 Czech Hg622u manual mentions FTP starting the samba server.  A reboot is supposed to needed but that does not seem to hep.  A screen shot shows the USB drive showing up on the FTP page but that does not happen for me.

[les-70]

  A progress report re the wireless. 

   My MS156 to RP SMA connectors arrived and work allowing an external aerial.   The cable provided was however very stiff and springy so any small deflection put stress on the coupling so I guessed that to be permanent mounted in the case would be difficult without a clamp stopping the strong pulls on the connector. 

  In the end I got the same connections with adapted  U.FL Mini PCI leads so I need not have wasted my money on the MS156.  If a short piece of ordinary solid copper telephone cable wire is inserted into the female socket of the U.FL Mini PCI  connector and then this wire is nipped off so that about 0.9 mm protudes.  Between 0.8 and 0.9mm looks like it would work, too short and it does not switch the RF and too long and the connector won't snap on and damage may be done.  About 0.8-0.9 mm is as short as my snips would cut it whilst the wire was pushed into the socket.  The total wire length is about 2mm with this cut.  The  U.FL Mini PCI leads that I have are a much more flexible cable and are easy to bend about.  Both the MS156 and the adapted U.FL Mini PCI  seem to need a solid push to get them to snap on with a nice click.

It all worked well enough on a bench to encourage me to drill holes to mount the RP SMA connectors on the side of the router sitting behind the PCB.  i.e. the side with no components. This way round the board drops back into the case and then the leads run over the top of the board where there is a big space and the RP SMA connectors fit through a hole each side.  They then hold the board in place if the hole is well positioned

  I have compared the wireless with a DG834G wireless using inSSIDer and measured before and after the mod.  The mod boosts the signals so that rather than being 2-3 db less than the DG it becomes 2-3 db more.  A gain of about 5db in inSSIDrer and definitely 1 bar on the windows wireless display. Possibly better if your lucky with antenna orientations.  It seemed very useful but after leaving it for a couple of days I have to say that signal strength does not seem to be the cause of the poor wireless behavior.  Things still loose connection and there seems to be need for a wireless restart sometimes

  I am sufficiently disappointed to have now removed the connectors and turned off the wireless --- I now have two extra small ventilation holes left in the side of the beast.  The wireless is back where it was on inSSIDer and connection reliability is, I think, just the same with and without the antenna. 

   It all provided some amusement  and  no harm seems to have been done apart from more ventilation!    in the router!

[les-70]

  I decided to have one last careful try with the external antenna.

 A careful check shows that ONLY the MS156 connector near the edge of the board (with a J7 label by it) seems to do anything. 

Connecting to only that connector with the  MS156 -RP SMA pigtail and no antenna drops the wireless output by about 20db and then connecting the antenna to the RP SMA gives a potential improvement of 5db over the original output i.e. 25db up from "no antenna".

Connecting to the other MS156 further from the edge  of the board (with a J8 label by it) does not influence the output signal whether or not the J7 connector is in place or not. Given the 20db drop with J7 connected it suggests that there is no wireless running in that side of the circuit.  I would not have expected a drop of more than 3db if connecting to J7 left J8 running and I doubt that  J7 can disconnect the J8 side. 

  If anyone has an HG622 opened up, asbo maybe, I would really welcome confirmation from another HG622.

  The simplest test is to enable the wireless and connect to the router wirelessly (if it is not connected the wireless power seems to cycle up and down every few seconds).   Then start inSSIDer and look at the time graph of the wireless power.  If a piece of 0.4-0.5mm diameter solid wire is pressed into each of the MS156 connectors in turn I get a ~20db drop in J7 and no effect with J8.  I would welcome confirmation that J8 does nothing in other HG622's.  If it does something, then maybe my HG622 has dodgy wireless!!