The Terra Station has three antenna ports, and each one has a special purpose. Viewing the Terra Station face on, so that the Terra logo is upright and facing you, the ports are located at the top of the device:
There is no internal WiFi antenna — the external WiFi antenna on the center port is required; we designed it this way to improve range and reliability.
For basic operation nothing more is needed than the center WiFi antenna: the Terra Station detects Blu Series and Motus tags with its internal antennas. If you'd like to expand your tag detection range, external antennas are available through our store.
Terra features two internal antennas: one at 2.4GHz for Blu Series (and Terra accessory sensors), and one at 434MHz for Motus (UHF). The 2.4GHz antenna is an inverted-F PCB antenna and the 434MHz antenna is a helix antenna. Both offer great performance for receiving tags in a typical yard and perhaps part of your neighborhood!
Terra uses standard SMA antennas and coaxial cable. Note that SMA is not compatible with RP-SMA — when ordering cables and antennas, make sure you order the correct type or use an adapter to convert between the two.
SMA connectors should be connected hand tight only. Overtightening SMA connectors — by hand with force, or with tools — will damage the Terra and its connectors, and connector tightness does not improve reception.
Once the WiFi antenna's SMA is secure, rotate the antenna and move the hinge upward so the antenna points up. This provides the maximum signal strength.
For your 434MHz or Blu Series antenna port to function, you need to tell the Terra to use the external antenna. In the Terra Listens app, tap your Terra Station, open Settings, and switch on the External Antenna toggle for each port you're using. (If a change doesn't seem to take effect, a brief unplug — about 5 seconds — and replug of your Terra will apply it.)
You can use coax if you want to mount an antenna separate from the Terra. Use good-quality coax for runs of more than a couple of feet. Make sure it's 50-ohm cable, not 75-ohm cable-TV coax. We suggest LMR-400 or better for runs over 10 feet, especially at 2.4GHz, where coax losses are much higher — RG-8 and other thinner coaxes are fine for short runs.
Any 433MHz antenna will work, and even some ham-radio antennas for the 440MHz / 70cm band will work fine — just make sure 434.000MHz is within its frequency range. Almost all antennas are the same impedance (50 ohms).
Blu signals span 2400–2483MHz. Third-party Bluetooth or WiFi antennas covering that range may work, but we can't guarantee them — the antennas from our store are the ones we've tested. Due to higher coax losses at higher frequencies, we highly suggest LMR-400 for any length of coax over about a meter.
Terra features 802.11n WiFi and works with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, equally well.
Is the green light steady or pulsating? If it is slowly fading in and out, it is not connected to WiFi. If it is steady and flickers ever so slightly every 5 seconds, Terra is connected.
If you are having trouble with Terra's WiFi, try the following:
If you're still having difficulty, move Terra close to your WiFi router to rule out any other sort of issue. If that doesn't work, we suggest you submit a ticket.