Coaxial Pigtails

Pigtails are small connection cables with a configured plug attachment, which are usually used as adapters if the components to be connected use different connector types. This may for example be the case with devices of different manufacturers or series or because different demands are placed on the plug depending on the device requirements. If you still want to connect them, you use a pigtail. Since in the area of ??WiFI is usually worked with high-frequency cables, the so-called coaxial cables, and the pigtail in addition to its plugs in the middle of a coaxial cable and is then referred to as a coaxial pigtail. Pigtails are very short compared to other cable elements with 20 to 30 centimeters in length. Therefore, the name pigtail, which refers to the length and not the shape of the cable.

Construction of a coaxial pigtail
The centerpiece of the pigtail is a coaxial cable. This consists of an inner conductor (e.g., copper wire), a dielectric (non-conductive), one to two shields (e.g., foil or braid), and an insulating outer jacket. In addition, it is usually worked with a silvering against the so-called skin effect, which is responsible for the unwanted attenuation. The quality features of a coaxial cable are the thickness, the frequency response and the damping. Basically, the thicker the cable, the less damping occurs. For reasons of practicality, however, thinner cables are preferred because they can be better routed and bent. A cable is the higher the higher the less damping it has with as little thickness as possible. Coaxial cables usually have an impedance of 50 ohms. This is a compromise between the optimum resistors for maximum power and voltage and minimum attenuation that would be 30 and 70 ohms, respectively.Furthermore, the pigtail consists of two plugs, once the standard (in the form of a pin) and once the reverse (in the form of a cup). Depending on the intended use, the two plugs can either belong to the same or a different connector system. One of the most widely used connector systems is SMA (subminiature A). It is a microwave plug, which is particularly robust and is therefore used very often. Also MMCX (micro miniature coaxial connector) is widely used. This is a micro miniature connector with snap-in latch that allows plug rotations up to 360 °. It was developed in 1990 and is the smaller version of the MCX connector. The MMCX allows standard frequency ranges up to 6 GHz and is often used with PC cards and small high-frequency components. U.FL connectors are also frequently used when connecting antennas to circuit boards or other small assemblies.In our online shop you will find many other prefabricated plug combinations. Upon request, we will also put together an individual coaxial pigtail. Simply contact us or use our practical configurator. Even with questions, we are always at your disposal.

Use of coaxial pigtails
Who wants to have a good Wi-Fi signal strength, sometimes can not help but to mount an external WiFi antenna to achieve the desired range. This is then placed in a particularly suitable location and connected via an antenna cable to the router. Ideally, one would place the router directly at this location, but that is rarely possible, since the router, for example, by the phone jack is usually location-based and can be moved only limited. Since both the antenna and the router small cable connections are provided, the use of a thin cable is obvious. However, high losses due to damping must be expected. As described above, with coaxial cables, the thinner they are, the higher the attenuation and concomitantly the signal loss. Already at two meters cable length this can be at 40%! If you still want to work with a coaxial cable, you should definitely use a thicker cable with a thicker inner conductor. Although this can not be connected directly to the components, with an acting as an adapter coaxial pigtail is not a problem. Although this solution is a bit more expensive than simply using a conventional thin coaxial cable, the effort is definitely worth it, since you can hardly post a gain through the external WLAN antenna with a high attenuation. Alternatively, with a desired range increase, it is also possible to work with a WiFi USB stick with a long USB cable or an access point in conjunction with a network cable. Both variants work around the problem with the damping and keep the signal losses low. Of course, you will find accessories for all variants in our online shop.

If you have any questions about which solution suits you best, we will be pleased to inform you in detail as part of our customer service. Just call or send an email to info@wifi-shop24.com!