220-1101 Mobile Devices Practice Question
A user reports that their smartphone's Bluetooth has stopped working entirely—it cannot discover any devices and cannot be discovered by other devices. However, Wi-Fi connectivity remains unaffected. The technician has already performed a full network settings reset and tested the device in safe mode. Which of the following hardware components is MOST likely faulty?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas are completely separate, leading candidates to incorrectly select the Bluetooth antenna as the fault, when in fact the shared combo chip is the single point of failure for one radio while the other remains operational.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip is the most likely faulty component because both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth share the same integrated circuit in modern smartphones. Since Wi-Fi continues to work normally, the Bluetooth portion of the combo chip has failed internally, while the Wi-Fi path remains functional. A full network settings reset and safe mode test rule out software or driver issues, isolating the fault to the hardware.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Bluetooth antenna
Why it's wrong here
In modern smartphones, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas are often a shared, integrated antenna or are co-located on the same flex cable. A true hardware antenna fault would typically degrade or completely kill both radios on the 2.4 GHz band, so if Wi-Fi remains fully functional, the antenna itself is almost certainly intact. Moreover, an antenna defect usually causes intermittent signal loss or reduced range, not a complete, permanent software/OS-level loss of Bluetooth functionality.
- ✓
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip
Why this is correct
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip is a single integrated circuit—commonly from Qualcomm, Broadcom, or Cypress—that contains the baseband processors, RF transceivers, and controllers for both radios. Because Bluetooth and Wi-Fi share this chip, a partial solder-joint failure, internal die damage, or a firmware-corrupted memory block inside the chip can disable Bluetooth while leaving the Wi-Fi section operational. This precisely matches the symptom of Bluetooth being entirely dead while Wi-Fi still works, making the combo chip the most likely and logically consistent culprit.
- ✗
Power management IC
Why it's wrong here
The power management IC (PMIC) regulates and distributes all voltage rails for the phone's CPU, memory, display, and radios. A PMIC failure normally produces catastrophic, system-wide symptoms such as failure to charge, random shutdowns, overheating, or complete failure to power on—not a single wireless protocol going silent. While a PMIC's dedicated LDO rail supplying only the Bluetooth block could theoretically fail, such a fault would more often also affect other components sharing that rail, and it is not the expected answer when Wi-Fi and the rest of the phone function normally.
- ✗
Battery
Why it's wrong here
A battery delivers raw DC power to the system and does not selectively control a specific radio. Battery faults—whether from age, damage, or a faulty protection circuit—manifest as rapid drain, swelling, unexpected shutdowns, or the phone failing to power on at all. Bluetooth losing functionality entirely while the phone remains operational and Wi-Fi works cannot be explained by a battery issue, because the smartphone would need enough power to run its main SoC and cellular/Wi-Fi radios, leaving no electrical reason for only the Bluetooth subsystem to fail.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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