Wi-Fi antenna installed inside a desktop computer.
Wi-Fi antenna installed inside a desktop computer.
Immediately placing antennas within a metal enclosure reduces signal quality and stability. It's not advisable.
It depends on the chassis; sometimes it has a ground path if the power supply connects well to the case. This might create a Faraday cage effect, reducing signal strength and integrity. The exact impact varies with the enclosure's design.
For scientific purposes, I placed the antenna of my MSI X570 MEG ACE inside the case, positioning it on top of the GPU backplate. The side panel facing the router had a glass front that was slightly open for cable access. Signal strength fell sharply from full to just 2-3 bars (using the Windows tray icon for measurement, which may not be the most accurate method, though this experiment was quick). It didn’t appear to noticeably affect network performance. Changing the orientation—glass toward the wall, metal toward the router—completely cut off the 5GHz signal. The system automatically switched to 2.4GHz, maintaining similar strength levels and placement compared to the 5GHz side with glass. The router is roughly 6-7 meters away, behind a wall or closed door.
Thanks for the feedback. I might consider discreetly placing the antennas on the exterior of the case. At this price point, I’m not too concerned about spending money on them. I’ll collect them and experiment with mounting them inside under the mesh panel and outside the case just to test. My PC case is roughly 5 feet away from a Netgear OBI range extender when it’s not connected to Ethernet. My main worry is whether this will noticeably affect my online game ping.
I was talking about the connected article, since it didn’t clearly demonstrate the intended approach.