Hi @cichy63,
while the wroom-32U with an external antenna might be overkill, I have recently ordered 2 WROOM-32D, which, according to Espressif, has
The antenna design has also changed. The result is better RF performance.
or from the tech spec sheet:
ESP32-WROOM-32D, compared with ESP32-WROOM-32, has been improved in the following aspects: TX Power, RX sensitivity, EVM, Band Edge and Spurious Emission.
And I can confirm, replacing a ‘standard’ ESP32-WROOM-32 with a new ESP32-WROOM-32D, at the same location, the reception sensitivity of my usual beacon has improved from an average -82db to now an average -65db.
So maybe this model could help with your 1-2meter range issue as well.
Just make sure to break off the PCB board underneath the antenna, if it also has it there for package and postage safety, so that the antenna is fully free, as it’s supposed to be for this model - the PCB has a predetermined breaking point there.