CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201)Mobile DevicesMedium
A technician is upgrading a laptop by installing a WWAN card to add cellular data connectivity. After seating the card into its motherboard slot and connecting the antenna cables, what additional step is required for the laptop to establish a cellular connection?
- AConnect a coaxial Wi-Fi antenna cable to the card
- BPair the card with a Bluetooth device
- CInstall a SIM card into the card's SIM slot
- DEnable SATA mode in the BIOS
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Install a SIM card into the card's SIM slot
A WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) card requires a SIM card to authenticate with a cellular carrier network, similar to a smartphone. Without a SIM inserted into the card's SIM slot, the card cannot register on a cellular network even if physically installed and connected to antennas.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wi-Fi antenna cables connect to the Wi-Fi card, not the WWAN card, and don't enable cellular service.
- B. WWAN cellular connectivity does not use Bluetooth pairing.
- D. SATA mode relates to storage drives, not cellular connectivity.
WWAN Card
An internal laptop card that provides cellular data connectivity, requiring a SIM card for network authentication just like a smartphone.
- Installed in a dedicated mini-PCIe/M.2 slot
- Requires SIM card for carrier authentication
- Uses its own antenna cables separate from Wi-Fi antennas
Memory trick: 'No SIM, no signal'