After a laptop screen has been replaced, the laptop is having Wi-Fi connectivity issues. No SSIDs are discovered. Bluetooth and Ethernet are working. Which of the following should a technician investigate first?
When a laptop screen is replaced, the technician typically removes the display assembly components and works near the hinge area where the Wi-Fi antenna leads are routed. In most laptops, the Wi-Fi antennas are built into the display bezel and connect to the wireless adapter using thin coax cables labeled MAIN/AUX. If one or both antenna leads are left disconnected, pinched, or not fully seated during reassembly, the Wi-Fi adapter may still appear in the OS, but the radio signal strength becomes extremely weak. A common symptom is no SSIDs found or only very close/strong networks intermittently.
Bluetooth working does not rule this out because Bluetooth can have separate antennas or may still function at short range even when Wi-Fi reception is poor. Ethernet working confirms general network access and suggests the issue is isolated to the Wi-Fi radio path rather than the router, ISP, or OS networking stack. The wireless access point is unlikely to be the cause if the issue started immediately after hardware service and other devices can see SSIDs. Therefore, the first hardware check should be the wireless antenna connections and routing.
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