Introduction
This guide will show you how to replace the wi-fi antenna which sits over the display connectors near the top of the phone.
Tools
Parts
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Power off your iPhone before beginning disassembly.
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Your iPhone 4 rear cover may have either two #000 Phillips screws or Apple's 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws (second image). Check which screws you have, and ensure you also have the correct screwdriver in order to remove them.
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Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe or Phillips #000 screws next to the dock connector.
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Pinch the rear panel with your fingers and lift it away from the iPhone. Alternatively, use a Small Suction Cup .
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Remove the following five screws securing the wi-fi antenna to to the logic board:
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One 2.3 mm Phillips
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Two 1.6 mm Phillips
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One 1.4 mm Phillips
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One 4.8 mm Phillips
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Use an iPod opening tool to slightly lift the top edge of the wi-fi antenna away from the logic board.
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Use the tip of a spudger to pull the wi-fi retaining clips away from the inner frame.
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Remove the wi-fi antenna from the iPhone. Make sure you don't lose the metal clips on the top of the cover where the 4.8mm screw attaches or the 4.8mm screw. That's the primary reason for abnormal Wi-Fi performance after the reassembly.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
9 comments
The wifi antenna has a small clip connecting the black antenna to the logic board.
Its very small and apparently easy to loose as i never even saw mine. If you loose it you will not have a good wifi signal untill its replaced.
trae -
It's doesn't work i'm sorry
I purchased an iPhone 4 GSM new/sealed from an Apple Store in July 2010
and never needed to connect to multiple Wi-Fi networks until recently.
When I would go from a known Wi-Fi connection to another one,
I would need to go into Settings to reconnect each time.
I figured that I needed to replace the Wi-Fi antenna.
When I took off the back panel, I discovered that the 4.8mm Phillips screw
that grounds the Wi-Fi antenna is not present. So, you might want to first
check that the screw is there and properly secured.
using something like the 18-compartment tray will GREATLY help with this one; there are over a dozen groups of parts. For re-assembly having a digital calipers to measure the 2.4 vs the 2.6mm screws also helps greatly.
awr -
My method for hardware management during delicate phone surgery is to take and print out on 8.5"x11' paper, one or more pictures of the open phone in various stages of disassembly, and then tape the screws to the appropriate spots on the pictures. Also write numbers on the pictures next the screws to indicate the order in which you removed them.
lens42 -
I use a plastic egg tray, I drop all the screws and small parts (like the camera) for each step into the same egg indentation. You can see that the screws are different lengths, so I don't put one screw into it's own spot. I used 5 egg indentations to replace my screen.
Mangled Jargon -