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ThisWreckage
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May 9th, 2026 12:17
Why two wi-fi aerials?
My Optiplex 3020 has two wi-fi aerials at the rear. One has fallen off but the wi-fi signal is at full strength. What is the purpose of two aerials and should I open up the case to see if I can fix the second aerial?
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Posted May 9th, 2026 18:13
Can you post a picture of the rear showing the antenna? Does it look similar to this add in WiFi card?
#IWork4Dell
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Posted May 9th, 2026 19:04
It's just the way the radio is built to work.
And generally. whenever you see ports and antennas like this, you are not suppose to turn-on or run the radio without the antennas actually connected (as it can conceivably damage the radio).
Dell Rockstar
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Posted May 9th, 2026 23:38
Dell DW1502
(edited)
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Posted May 10th, 2026 06:08
@DELL-ChrisM2 Yes, they look just like in that photo. I was just wondering why there are two, and if I needed to investigate the broken one.
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Posted May 10th, 2026 13:49
Thanks, that makes it clear.
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Posted May 11th, 2026 00:44
The black and white cables antennas transmit and receive Wi-Fi signals for the DW1502 half-mini PCIe card.White Wire (Main/Main): Often considered the main antenna for primary Wi-Fi connectivity.
Black Wire (Auxiliary/Aux): Usually acts as the secondary or backup antenna to improve signal reliability and range (MIMO diversity).
DELL-ChrisM2
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Posted May 10th, 2026 13:27
@ThisWreckage
Wi-Fi cards use two antennas primarily to improve connection speed, stability, and range through a technology called MIMO (Multiple In - Multiple Out). But since you state your signal is at full strength, I would not worry about it.
#IWork4Dell
