Dell XPS 13 - switched DW1820 for Killer 1535 wifi card - loose antenna lead(s)???

I just got a Dell XPS 13 and switched out the stock DW1820 wifi card (M.2 format) for a Killer 1535 M.2 wireless card.
First of all, a post on the net said a plastic putty knife could be substituted for the "plastic scribe" tool to remove the back panel after removing the Torx T5 screws.
Not a good suggestion, knowing in hindsight that there is a circuit-printed cable near the outside of the laptop (somehow I, apparently at least, did not damage the cable from a functionally point of view when using the very thin plastic putty knife type tool, thank God).
Second the 'people parts' video showing how to remove the back panel and replace the wifi card for the XPS13 is very useful, with one major exception - they neglect to show the middle screw needing to be removed (Philips screw).

Anyway, I took out my DW1820 wifi card. However, when it came time to install the replacement Killer 1535 M.2 wfi card, the antenna leads did not snap / fit in easily. It took me 10 minutes plus to get the black lead to stay put.
Then the white one took forever and seemed to eventually sit in place; I put back the silver metal antenna brace secured by one Philips screw. I put the back cover in place, but did not yet reinstall the T5 screws, wanting to first check the wifi worked given that neither antenna lead snapped into place.
The wifi seemed weak, so I removed the back and checked under the brace (very hard to see without removing the brace) and the white lead seemed loose. I removed the brace and sure enough it was already loose again! SIGH.

Long story short, I eventually got the white lead to stay in place but never head a reassuring snap or similar sound or click to give any confidence that the antenna lead would stay in place.
I secured the brace again carefully and tested again about 11 1/2 hours ago - wifi performance of the Killer 1535 has been solid since (handily outperforming the speed of my MU0-MIMO WUSB6100M USB wifi adapter).

1. I just wanted to know, based on personal experience of others here, whether there is any way the antenna lead could still come loose over time with the brace in place? Should I be concerned that the antenna leads could suddenly come loose?
If issues occur with one or both antenna leads coming loose over time, is there any other workaround to secure the antenna leads permanently or, preferably, semi-permanently? I do not mind using solder or glue if necessary
Once the 2 wifi antenna leads are in place, even if one of the 2 antenna leads is not 100% securely connected to the metal connector on the wifi card, will the bracket / brace (that is screwed on top of the 2 wifi antenna leads) be enough to keep the leads in place for the long haul???
I.e. is there any wiggle room for the lead to potentially come loose?
(I tried to check, but once the brace is in place, it was very hard to see if there was much of a gap between the top of antenna lead and the brace that could allow the lead to shift / move semi-'freely').
Still find it odd that the leads did not click into place, unless MY particular Killer card's antenna mounting points were not properly engineered? I checked photos of my card and other Killer 1535 cards online and they seem to be the same.
The black antenna lead seems to be well attached. I am not so sure how secure the black lead connection to the card is, especially given how long it took me to get it to finally, apparently, stick.


Thanks for any feedback and suggestions!!

 

Bump to first page.
Anyone have any thoughts / feedback to share on the loose antenna leads portion of my question?

1. Maybe I am worried about nothing - i.e. once they are in place AND the metal bracket / brace on top of the lads is secured, the antenna leads can't readily come loose?
2 (optional question) - Is there any easy way to check, via software e.g. (i.e. without having to open up the unit) whether one or both wifi card antennae leads is not in place?

Thanks in advance!

 

Sorry but that read was painful and basically tells a story of someone with next to no idea how to work on a computer/laptop coupled with using what sounds like one of the worst tutorial video's possible.

Dell provide service manuals and no matter what you find on google you should always read the service manual as well.

I have never damaged nor had a wifi cable that didn't clip back on so I can only assume you damaged them both during removal.

If you have got them secure now they should not come loose and yes the shield should stop a loose cable coming free and shorting anything out.
Fact still remains that they are probably damaged so I would make sure you have some form of accidental damage cover ready?


FYI I fit antenna cables with the card removed just to get the extra bit of wiggle room when needed.

 

Thanks.
Just to clarify, I used the appropriate tools (decent Torx T5 screw driver [not the ones that strip easily], appropriate Philips driver etc.) and precautions (laptop powered off, not touching parts). I removed the hidden center screw as soon as I encountered the slightest resistance when opening the cover. Agreed re. video though since it misses key point of center screw etc.

My biggest mistake was the tool used to pry the cover off which had been posted in a forum as an alternate (could not get the scribe quickly enough and needed computer for work). I did not review service manual having found a detailed video from a Dell parts dealer; I placed too much trust in it, my mistake I acknowledge that 100%.
"Next to no idea how to work on a laptop" - what specifically gave that impression? I have worked on a more intricate setup where alligator clips (for grounding) and digital multimeter were required to adjust a potentiometer to get the required value on a DVD drive's laser. I have also built two desktops from the ground up. I will re-read my post later to see if I inadvertently gave the preceding impression...
In this case only wanted to confirm the antenna leads would be secure with the bracket in place.

Thanks for confirming that [the leads] seem broken; I would think that since both leads were securely in place on the OEM wifi card and presented no resistance during my careful removal, that one of the two antenna lead mounting points on the wifi card itself was not engineered to specs, rather than the antenna leads having any issues (could obviously be a combination of the two though).

Yes, I do have warranty coverage.

 

I am good at offending people, I am not intending to do so with you but it is the way it read, the kicker is both antenna connections are now damaged. Afraid the chance in the 1820 card having defective plugs are probably zero along with the chance in both cables being faulty, a single one maybe but not both or they would have fallen off when you removed the shield but before that the signal would nothing!

I know sometimes they can be a ***** to get back on but normally a bit more pressure and it will click home.

 

Right, we are in agreement the DW1820A wifi card should be fine since the leads stayed in place after I removed the metal brace (bracket). Also the leads worked fine, so those should be fine.
That is exactly why my suspicion (as noted in my earlier post) is that one of the Killer card's antenna mounting points might be slightly off (one lead was a lot easier to attach than the other) or I needed to apply more pressure, perhaps... The long antenna wire itself might also have played a role in not being able to connect the white lead to the Killer 1535 card for a while.

For now I will continue to monitor wifi performance; so far so good though.

 

Fingers crossed!

If you ever do work on it again just remove the card with the wires attached, they are a lot easier to work with.

 

Thanks, maybe I am missing the goal behind your suggestion: In this case, I swapped out the OEM (Dell DW1820A) wifi card, so I had to remove the antenna leads to hook them up to the new Killer 1535 wifi card.