While performing maintenance on a corporate laptop, you replace its failing internal Wi-Fi card with an identical spare. After booting, Windows installs the correct driver and shows the adapter as working. However, the user can connect only when within a few feet of the access point, and throughput is extremely low. Bluetooth peripherals pair without issue. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the poor Wi-Fi performance?
The antenna pigtail connectors were not reattached securely to the WLAN card.
The BIOS wireless hardware switch remains set to Disabled.
The technician inserted the card into a WWAN (cellular) M.2 slot.
The retention screw was overtightened, damaging the card's PCB traces.
Internal WLAN cards rely on one or two miniature coaxial pigtails that connect the card to antennas routed through the laptop's display. If those leads are left disconnected or only partially seated when the card is replaced, the adapter will initialize correctly and Bluetooth may still work at very short range, but Wi-Fi signal strength and throughput drop dramatically. Installing the card in a WWAN slot would normally prevent the OS from recognizing it, an overtightened screw would more likely keep the system from starting the adapter at all, and a disabled BIOS switch would prevent any wireless operation, not just reduce range.
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What is a WLAN antenna pigtail connector?
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Why does Bluetooth still work if the WLAN antenna connectors are disconnected?
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What is the difference between WLAN and WWAN slots in a laptop?