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CompTIA

220-801 · Question #494

A laptop's wireless card shows up in the Device Manager, but the signal strength is always one bar. This is caused by which of the following?

The correct answer is B. Disconnected or broken antenna. Because the wireless card appears in Device Manager, the hardware is recognized by the OS and the driver is functioning - this rules out a disabled switch (option D) or a disabled utility (option A), both of which would show no connection at all rather than a weak one. A…

Hardware and network troubleshooting

Question

A laptop's wireless card shows up in the Device Manager, but the signal strength is always one bar. This is caused by which of the following?

Options

  • AThe signal is disabled in the wireless utility
  • BDisconnected or broken antenna
  • CDisconnected or broken inverter
  • DThe wireless switch is turned off

How the community answered

(30 responses)
  • A
    7% (2)
  • B
    77% (23)
  • C
    13% (4)
  • D
    3% (1)

Explanation

Because the wireless card appears in Device Manager, the hardware is recognized by the OS and the driver is functioning - this rules out a disabled switch (option D) or a disabled utility (option A), both of which would show no connection at all rather than a weak one. A laptop's wireless antenna wires typically run through the display lid and connect to the wireless card. If these thin antenna cables are disconnected or damaged (often during a screen repair or drop), the card can still function but receives a very weak signal, resulting in consistently poor signal strength. An inverter (option C) powers the LCD backlight and has no effect on wireless signal.

Topics

#wireless antenna#laptop wireless#signal strength#wireless troubleshooting

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