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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Installing AirPort Card in Mac Pro? (today)

Installing AirPort Card in Mac Pro? (today)
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nonhuman
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Mar 30, 2007, 11:44 AM
 
I've got someone who bought a Mac Pro without Airport, and then bought an Airport card separately. They want me to install the card for them. I don't imagine this will be difficult at all (I've been working on computers since I was a kid, have replaced parts in all sorts of Apples, and have built several PCs), but I just wanted to see if anyone here has done it and/or knows if there is anything about the process that might be unexpected. I haven't been under the hood of a Mac Pro before (closest is my PowerMac G5), so I just want to be sure there's nothing that's going to catch me by surprise.

Any advice?
     
nonhuman  (op)
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Mar 30, 2007, 08:44 PM
 
Ok, installed the card. Gotta say that was a huge pain in the ass. First off, the card is tiny. Second, the screws are even tinier. My screwdriver was too big, so I had to use one of the blades on my pocketknife (good thing I always cary it). Third, the slot that the card goes into is spring loaded, so you have to actually hold it down while tightening the first screw or it will throw it out of the hole. Fourch, the antenna wires are a real bitch to a) find and b) install. In this case there was a second hard drive installed, and I have to remove it before I could even find the wires.

No wonder they say it requires professional install. I'm a professional, and I hope I don't have to do it again any time soon.
     
papadopolis
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Mar 30, 2007, 09:12 PM
 
sounds like a pain in the ass ya the airport cards in the mac minis are spring loaded as well
     
engelmonster
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May 24, 2007, 12:32 PM
 
I've looked everywhere for this information
but as we know Apple never provides any sort of real
manual for anything you buy.

Which wire goes where? I got the card in and it has
been a real pain (curse my fat fingers!). Now I just need to know
which of the 4 wires goes where. I have wires 1,2,3,and BT.
I assume BT is for Blue tooth. SO I know the 1,2, and 3 arethe ones in question.

Please help!
     
Leonard
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Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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May 24, 2007, 04:10 PM
 
Originally Posted by engelmonster View Post
I've looked everywhere for this information
but as we know Apple never provides any sort of real
manual for anything you buy.
Actually there are manuals for the customer installable parts Apple - Support - Manuals but the airport card is not a customer installable part, therefore Apple doesn't publish that manual for customers, only AASP's.
Mac Pro Dual 3.0 Dual-Core
MacBook Pro
     
nonhuman  (op)
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May 24, 2007, 04:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by engelmonster View Post
I've looked everywhere for this information
but as we know Apple never provides any sort of real
manual for anything you buy.

Which wire goes where? I got the card in and it has
been a real pain (curse my fat fingers!). Now I just need to know
which of the 4 wires goes where. I have wires 1,2,3,and BT.
I assume BT is for Blue tooth. SO I know the 1,2, and 3 arethe ones in question.

Please help!
Hmm, let me try and refresh my memory...

Is the card you're installing AirPort and BT or just AirPort? The one I installed was AirPort only, so I don't have direct experience with the BT part.

Are the wires actually labeled 1, 2, 3, and BT? Some have been labeled incorrectly. But regardless of how they're labeled, there should be two of one length and two of another. The two shorter ones should be BT and one of the other three (probably 1). The two longer ones should be 2 and 3.

To install the AirPort card, set it in place and screw it down (no easy matter, I know). The two longer ones are the antenna wires for the airport card, just attach them to the little connector buttons (it takes a little more pressure than you'd expect to get them to snap into place). It doesn't matter which you attach to which connector.

I haven't installed the BlueTooth module myself, but the general process as I understand it is to put the card in place, and attach the wire labeled 1 to it. The BT wire you apparently don't actually need for some strange reason.

Hope that helps.
     
mpb0238
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Jun 6, 2007, 07:47 AM
 
Can anyone point me in the right direction for installing the Bluetooth / Airport Extreme card into a G5 tower (2.66 GHz Dual)?
     
nonhuman  (op)
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Jun 6, 2007, 08:55 AM
 
Originally Posted by mpb0238 View Post
Can anyone point me in the right direction for installing the Bluetooth / Airport Extreme card into a G5 tower (2.66 GHz Dual)?
For the G5, isn't the Bluetooth and Airport integrated into a single express card? I imagine you just fit the card into the slot and connect an antenna wire. I can take a look inside my G5 when I've got the free time to turn it off.
     
mpb0238
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Jun 6, 2007, 11:07 AM
 
You are correct; it is a single card. However, I think there is more to it than plugging it in. Apple will not sell you the card unless they install it. This tells me it may not be a trivial installation. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
     
newtech
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Jun 6, 2007, 04:16 PM
 
The SMB antenna connections are tiny and fragile. That is the main reason Airport and bluetooth are no longer considered as CIP's. they require a steady hand and deep familarity to be handled correctly.
     
jcpouce
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Jun 16, 2007, 04:52 AM
 
hello nonhuman,

I've bought a mac pro yesterday without the airport extreme in the first place... i went to another shop to get the card, but back home i was a bit clueless on how to install it... (i thought it was a bit like the imac G5, user installable and almost obvious).

Could you provide some information on how you proceeded, please if possible ?

I have read somewhere someone was saying it could void the warranty... is it ?



many thanks,
jc
     
arudius
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Jun 16, 2007, 10:54 AM
 
Here's another solution that I just came up with, as I posted about this issue just yesterday and even put pictures as to the issue, and someone was kind enough to let me know that it's simply the wrong card. Heh, SWEET! Anyway, check this out I had an epiphany last night and thus far it's worked, but I realize it's not ideal for everyone's setup, so that's my disclaimer:

Instead of going back to Apple store here in NYC and buying another card trying to get the right one (the guy must have given me the wrong one by mistake at the time, as I specifically said Mac Pro), I returned the Airport Extreme card, got my $49.99 + tax back, took it to Best Buy, bought a Linksys Wireless router for $49.99 + tax, and am using it as a bridge here in my apartment to steal wireless + broadcast it from the wireless router. Since I don't have a wireless card in my computer, I simply hook an ethernet cable up to the back of it and connect it direct into my Mac Pro. Works perfectly.

Now the only reason I say this isn't ideal for everyone is that it's basically another piece of hardware externally vs. an internal airport card. I like this because it leaves room for expansion in the future. In the end, the ends justify the means. It's doing the same thing. I can get online.

So, just some food for thought. As for installing the airport card, I will leave that to someone else to explain. If they can provide pictures like I did, that'd be pretty sweet too. Though not blurry like mine, heh.

-Arudius
     
roberth909
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Jul 2, 2007, 11:05 PM
 
I was having a problem with the Linksys Wireless Router with my Mac Pro, so I brought it back and got a Buffalo Wireless-G Ethernet Convertor at Best Buy. It was quite easy to set up and get going. A slightly more expensive alternative at $80, but easier to figure out, more in the spirit of Mac easiness. Talks to the Airport Express just fine.

Buffalo Technology AirStation Turbo G High-Power Wireless Ethernet Converter
Model: WLI-TX4-G54HP

-Robert
( Last edited by roberth909; Jul 2, 2007 at 11:06 PM. Reason: addition)
     
MBConcepts
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Jul 20, 2007, 11:33 PM
 
Here instructions with photo's for installing a Airport Extreme card in an Intel Mac Pro:

How To: Installing an Airport Extreme Card in an Intel Mac Pro : Meandering Passage
     
xccelerant
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Jul 28, 2007, 11:11 AM
 
Trying to install an airport extreme card in a Mac Pro dual 3.0 ghz 8 core. Question is how do you hold the card in place after plugging the back in? Do screws usually come with the extreme card when you order it? There aren't any screws in the two pins inside the Mac and I didn't receive any with the xtreme card. Bought the card from Fastmac.

Also how do the antenna wires hook in? do you just push in and they click???

Thanks in advance,
X
     
dvsjr
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Jan 31, 2008, 02:16 PM
 
This is an old thread but I felt compelled to add a note.
People who steal internet access off others are scum.
Regardless of the fact your elderly/newbie/clueless neighbor didn't put a password on it, its stealing. You suck.

that is all.
     
robogobo
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Nov 28, 2008, 02:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by dvsjr View Post
This is an old thread but I felt compelled to add a note.
People who steal internet access off others are scum.
Regardless of the fact your elderly/newbie/clueless neighbor didn't put a password on it, its stealing. You suck.

that is all.
I leave my network open so other people can have it. They aren't stealing, even if they think they are. I wish everyone would leave theirs open. With DSL speeds as fast as they are these days, you'd never notice the difference if a few people are on it. I guess it's good manners to keep usage low if you're on an open network. The alternative is way too many people people giving Comcast more money.
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
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Nov 30, 2008, 10:47 AM
 
Driving a stake through the heart of this zombie. Or is it destroying the brain of this vampire? Anyway, this thread is WAY too old, and the last three posts are so far off topic that it's worth saying this:

STOP!

Thread closed.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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