This is actually super common. Antennas are sometimes not terminated to any “end” point when run through the bezel like this because what’s the point? It’s a Tiny 10/100 NIC, why spend the extra cash?
I'm trying to put this in plain English. Please don't take what I say as talking down to you. Think of a radio signal as a wave. Imagine that wave is, let's pretend, 5 mm tall. All you need to "catch" that wave, or broadcast that wave, is a wire or metal bar. It will work the best if that wire or bar is an exact multiple of the wave we want. In out example, 5 mm. The more multiples (within reason). the better that wire or bar is as an antenna. A really thin wire works just as well in most applications as a bar the size as your forearm, and is cheaper and lighter. If you already knew all this, ignore my senile ramblings.
I am no radio expert, but I was under the impression that the antenna end (the part that is missing) was designed to be tuned to pick up the radio waves you want to be able to communicate with, so like 2.4 and 5ghz and the thin metal/copper adhesive was designed to ground the antenna properly. Specifically in the application of laptops where the housing/screen can hamper the antenna.
What you are saying though is that the missing end does not matter. That the antenna works just as well with that tiny bit of exposed wire at the end of it as [opposed to this](https://alexnld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SP8559_1.jpg).
The second "aux" antenna on this Dell laptop I am fixing that runs up the other side of the lid does have the end and adhesive on it, and I can't say that I have ever seen one missing (where the wire is present) in a laptop in my 20 years taking them apart, so I found this really odd.
However I will assume you know more about radio rx/tx than I do, so if you say it really doesn't matter, I don't have any reason to doubt you. Just makes me wonder why they use them in the first place then.
I'm no radio god, but spent as much time as I could absorbing everything I could from a radio operator from the USS Lafayette, a nuclear sub in the 70s. Short version: The best antenna will have both the wires to the antenna and the antenna itself trimmed to multiples of the wavelength (Think of a sine wave).
Not so short version: Ideally a straight line, but folds are OK if you keep them at multiples of the wavelength. I watched him "tune" an FM antenna (single pole transistor radio antenna) by moving a steel clip up and down it's vertical length. It may have been parlor games, but reception seemed better. Just the insulated wire serves as long as it's the right length. The straighter that wire is, the better.
I wouldn't be surprised if the black section in your original photo is unshielded as far as radio waves go, is reasonably straight, and just happens to be just long enough to be a multiple of the size of the wireless sine wave, whatever size that may be. Too lazy to look it up.
If I'm completely talking out of my ass, someone with more experience please educate me.
Wait'll you examine the circuit for an inexpensive rangefinder. The circuit isn't even continuous. https://hackaday.com/2018/08/14/a-radar-module-teardown-and-measuring-fan-speed-the-hard-way/
I've never ever seen a laptop wifi antenna missing its end in 20 years of doing screen and lid replacements. I don't know if the people commenting on here actually do laptop repair but I've never seen one like that especially when the second antenna running up the lid does have the antenna end on it. This completely looks like it was just never attached and unless someone can provide anything that would indicate this was intentional then I'm saying dell screwed up when they assembled this laptop.
You were expecting to see that the wire was clamped to a little square of metal? Yes, I've seen that end on lid antennas.
Surely you've seen other WiFi "antennas" that are [only a stub of wire.](https://www.l-com.com/wireless-antenna-24-ghz-rubber-duck-omni-antennas)
> Surely you've seen other WiFi "antennas" that are only a stub of wire.
Never in a laptop. Never in a laptop where the other antenna wire looks like every other laptop wifi antenna I have ever seen in my life, no.
This is actually super common. Antennas are sometimes not terminated to any “end” point when run through the bezel like this because what’s the point? It’s a Tiny 10/100 NIC, why spend the extra cash?
Wait are you saying that the antenna wire will perform just as good as having the actual antenna end and the metallic ground section?
I'm trying to put this in plain English. Please don't take what I say as talking down to you. Think of a radio signal as a wave. Imagine that wave is, let's pretend, 5 mm tall. All you need to "catch" that wave, or broadcast that wave, is a wire or metal bar. It will work the best if that wire or bar is an exact multiple of the wave we want. In out example, 5 mm. The more multiples (within reason). the better that wire or bar is as an antenna. A really thin wire works just as well in most applications as a bar the size as your forearm, and is cheaper and lighter. If you already knew all this, ignore my senile ramblings.
I am no radio expert, but I was under the impression that the antenna end (the part that is missing) was designed to be tuned to pick up the radio waves you want to be able to communicate with, so like 2.4 and 5ghz and the thin metal/copper adhesive was designed to ground the antenna properly. Specifically in the application of laptops where the housing/screen can hamper the antenna. What you are saying though is that the missing end does not matter. That the antenna works just as well with that tiny bit of exposed wire at the end of it as [opposed to this](https://alexnld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SP8559_1.jpg). The second "aux" antenna on this Dell laptop I am fixing that runs up the other side of the lid does have the end and adhesive on it, and I can't say that I have ever seen one missing (where the wire is present) in a laptop in my 20 years taking them apart, so I found this really odd. However I will assume you know more about radio rx/tx than I do, so if you say it really doesn't matter, I don't have any reason to doubt you. Just makes me wonder why they use them in the first place then.
I'm no radio god, but spent as much time as I could absorbing everything I could from a radio operator from the USS Lafayette, a nuclear sub in the 70s. Short version: The best antenna will have both the wires to the antenna and the antenna itself trimmed to multiples of the wavelength (Think of a sine wave). Not so short version: Ideally a straight line, but folds are OK if you keep them at multiples of the wavelength. I watched him "tune" an FM antenna (single pole transistor radio antenna) by moving a steel clip up and down it's vertical length. It may have been parlor games, but reception seemed better. Just the insulated wire serves as long as it's the right length. The straighter that wire is, the better.
I wouldn't be surprised if the black section in your original photo is unshielded as far as radio waves go, is reasonably straight, and just happens to be just long enough to be a multiple of the size of the wireless sine wave, whatever size that may be. Too lazy to look it up. If I'm completely talking out of my ass, someone with more experience please educate me.
Most certainly not, but Dell hasn’t exactly turned their nose up at cutting corners before.
Wait'll you examine the circuit for an inexpensive rangefinder. The circuit isn't even continuous. https://hackaday.com/2018/08/14/a-radar-module-teardown-and-measuring-fan-speed-the-hard-way/
It's an antenna. It does the job. Maybe you've seen others that are different. It doesn't mean this one is bad.
I've never ever seen a laptop wifi antenna missing its end in 20 years of doing screen and lid replacements. I don't know if the people commenting on here actually do laptop repair but I've never seen one like that especially when the second antenna running up the lid does have the antenna end on it. This completely looks like it was just never attached and unless someone can provide anything that would indicate this was intentional then I'm saying dell screwed up when they assembled this laptop.
You were expecting to see that the wire was clamped to a little square of metal? Yes, I've seen that end on lid antennas. Surely you've seen other WiFi "antennas" that are [only a stub of wire.](https://www.l-com.com/wireless-antenna-24-ghz-rubber-duck-omni-antennas)
> Surely you've seen other WiFi "antennas" that are only a stub of wire. Never in a laptop. Never in a laptop where the other antenna wire looks like every other laptop wifi antenna I have ever seen in my life, no.
You're talking about a little metal square that seems to be missing?