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louh · Jan 19, 2007, 01:49 PM

Is there a card or will there be some kind of card to put into a macbook pro that will enable it for 802.11n? I feel left out right now. 4X faster would be 4X nicer.

mduell · Jan 19, 2007, 07:04 PM

IIRC Belkin announced an 802.11n ExpressCard/34, but it's not on the market yet. You could also go with a USB dongle.

louh · Jan 22, 2007, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

IIRC Belkin announced an 802.11n ExpressCard/34, but it's not on the market yet. You could also go with a USB dongle.

I'll wiat for the card. The USB dongle, will probably slow things down.
Lou

BZ · Jan 22, 2007, 05:19 PM

Pretty sure "MacBook Pro with Intel Core 2 Duo" have 802.11n built in, you just need the $1.99 enable (not for sale yet).

Apple - 802.11

BZ

cybergoober · Jan 23, 2007, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by louh

I'll wiat for the card. The USB dongle, will probably slow things down.
Lou

USB 2.0 is rated at 480 mbps. How would that slow anything down?

mduell · Jan 23, 2007, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by cybergoober

USB 2.0 is rated at 480 mbps. How would that slow anything down?

It can't, in the real world, sustain 480Mbps; average tends to fall to around 200-300Mbps depending on how good your chipsets/drivers are. But that's still more bandwidth than 802.11n in most cases.

ghporter · Jan 23, 2007, 09:13 PM

The only issues you'll really have with a USB adapter are whether or not an OS X driver exists for it (and how good that driver is). The driver is far more critical than connection speed, and a bad driver can give you half the speed of a good one. Since there are relatively few USB devices with Mac drivers (compared to those with PC drivers), and there are no huge complaints, quality is probably not a big issue. If it REALLY works with OS X (and for your particular type of OS X-PPC or Intel) then it'll be more than fast enough.

macfoo · Feb 19, 2007, 07:50 PM

My MacBook Pro Core [NOT 2] Duo 17" 2.13GHz won't update to 802.11 N, BUT when Boot Camped into Win XP the card shows as 108Mb and links to a NetGear Wireless Router (free with Sky Broadband) at 108Mb. Why can my Mac do ANYTHING better using WINDOWS?! Any help, advice or information appreciated.

mduell · Feb 19, 2007, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by macfoo

My MacBook Pro Core [NOT 2] Duo 17" 2.13GHz won't update to 802.11 N, BUT when Boot Camped into Win XP the card shows as 108Mb and links to a NetGear Wireless Router (free with Sky Broadband) at 108Mb. Why can my Mac do ANYTHING better using WINDOWS?! Any help, advice or information appreciated.

o.O

108Mbps is 802.11g with Dlink's custom extensions... I guess Apple has been using the same chipsets Dlink uses.

krove · Feb 20, 2007, 01:10 AM

Umm, apparently these guys retrofitted a Mac Pro airport mini PCI into a MacBook, and they say it can be done with original MacBook Pro Core Duo's as well!

Hardmac.com : Le "Macbidouille" in English

Since the Mac Pro card is 802.11n, and it is the same form factor as that found in MacBooks and MacBook Pros, this looks to be the best bet without having to have some external USB solution or Express Card. I was a bit surprised because everyone kept saying that the wireless was soldered to the motherboards. Nice to know otherwise!

Where can I buy a Mac Pro airport card?

krove · Feb 20, 2007, 01:29 AM

I couldn't find the Mac Pro airport kit on the Apple Store's website, but I found one here:

Apple Airport Extreme Kit for Mac Pro from Small Dog Electronics

$49. Nice. The only bad part is that you have to literally dismantle your computer, probably void your warranty to upgrade.

memory-minus · Feb 22, 2007, 10:03 PM

I should learn to read before I post.