The Dell I5 5577 stopped working completely due to Wi-Fi issues.
The Dell I5 5577 stopped working completely due to Wi-Fi issues.
I haven't tried tethering my phone before, so I didn't know what to expect.
I observed a ball impact that caused the hinge damage. The antenna is embedded in the screen frame, and the coax wire runs through it. It seems the wire may have broken, stretched, or been compressed. My experience with USB tethering hasn’t been successful. If you can remove the damaged top section, detach the antenna from the network card, and test again, that might resolve the issue.
Latest top I’ve seen has connectors that are at least double the size I used to have. But after today’s series of happenings, it felt kind of calming: my Lenovo G580, my very first laptop, was swapped for a Galaxy S4 and then lost in the rain a month later.
Additionally, I connected it straight to my router and it didn't detect it. That's what I wanted to know.
If you decide to go ahead with the replacement, opting for a 2x2 MIMO model is likely to boost your performance. The one you found matches that need. It’s possible the antenna got damaged from the ball impact; Bluetooth’s limited range could explain why it still functions when WiFi doesn’t, though that seems unlikely.
It's strange because it displays all nearby Wi-Fi networks with typical signal strength. It's not a connectivity problem, it's related to data transfer. I don't believe the Ethernet cable is involved, and neither did the other switch. This issue appears consistently across two different setups. If I can resell it for around $550, I'd have enough to purchase an Acer Nitro 5—though it looks great for its price. I'm hoping this becomes someone else's problem. Checking past discussions will show you the same struggles with this laptop.
The antenna for the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth isn’t passing through the hinges at all—it’s just positioned around them. There’s no sign of damage. (Seems more dusty than it appears in the photo)
Have you thought about simply reinstalling the windows? I don’t think it’s worth the effort to fix them. If it’s the hard drive-only model, the HDD might be damaged from impact. By the way, my Nitro 5 is still working well—used for a couple of days on the 5577 monitor panel, which stopped functioning. The first Nitro I received had a row of dead pixels, and the second one has been my school laptop for over a year, still handling external monitors and several programs smoothly. Edit: My G580 is still performing excellently; I use it as a client in my home lab—it’s one of the best laptops I’ve ever owned.