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How to Upgrade a Core Duo-based MacBook to Support WiFi 802.11n
par
Lionel
- 19/02/2007
Tests and Conclusion
After restarting the machine, the Airport module was recognized without any problems. We put in the CD provided with the Airport N base station, and it allowed us to install the new Airport utility as well as activate 802.11n without any difficulties.
After rebooting again, we naturally tried to connect to the base station in only 802.11n mode.
The machine connected to it just fine in n mode. We ran some file transfer tests between the MacBook and a machine connected to the base station by ethernet. It had no problem reaching 8.9 MB/s at the maximum, which is not far from what is possible with the 100 Mbit/s from the ethernet on the base station. Apple obviously forgot this detail in depriving us of gigabit ethernet...
By putting a MacPro module in the MacBook, we thought that we would have the same problems as those in the MacPro and the iMac Core 2 Duo, specifically in range and bandwidth in 802.11g. And to our great surprise, we experienced none of that. At an identical distance from the base station where the MacPro only musters 450 KB/s, the MacBook pro attained 3.6 MB/s! We also did not notice any problem in range. We have thus come to believe that the problems for the MacPro and the iMac do not come from the drivers, but from the antennas. We hope that this deduction turns out to be false, because it would then be impossible to fix without an invasive hardware modification.
Two small things to finish:
- The module in our tests came out of a MacPro. It is however possible to buy one from an Apple authorized repair center, unlike those for the Core 2 portables which can only be obtained through exchange.
- This "bidouille" is also possible on a MacBook Pro Core Duo which has an identical module with two antennas. You can read our article on swapping the hard drives to have the instructions for disassembly. The Airport card is right next to the hard drive, so the process is identical:
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/61/
In theory it should also be the same for an iMac Core Duo (and even a 17"" iMac Core 2 1.83 GHz). We will try to perform this swap at the same time as we try to install a Core 2 Duo in one of these machines.
After restarting the machine, the Airport module was recognized without any problems. We put in the CD provided with the Airport N base station, and it allowed us to install the new Airport utility as well as activate 802.11n without any difficulties.
After rebooting again, we naturally tried to connect to the base station in only 802.11n mode.
The machine connected to it just fine in n mode. We ran some file transfer tests between the MacBook and a machine connected to the base station by ethernet. It had no problem reaching 8.9 MB/s at the maximum, which is not far from what is possible with the 100 Mbit/s from the ethernet on the base station. Apple obviously forgot this detail in depriving us of gigabit ethernet...
By putting a MacPro module in the MacBook, we thought that we would have the same problems as those in the MacPro and the iMac Core 2 Duo, specifically in range and bandwidth in 802.11g. And to our great surprise, we experienced none of that. At an identical distance from the base station where the MacPro only musters 450 KB/s, the MacBook pro attained 3.6 MB/s! We also did not notice any problem in range. We have thus come to believe that the problems for the MacPro and the iMac do not come from the drivers, but from the antennas. We hope that this deduction turns out to be false, because it would then be impossible to fix without an invasive hardware modification.
Two small things to finish:
- The module in our tests came out of a MacPro. It is however possible to buy one from an Apple authorized repair center, unlike those for the Core 2 portables which can only be obtained through exchange.
- This "bidouille" is also possible on a MacBook Pro Core Duo which has an identical module with two antennas. You can read our article on swapping the hard drives to have the instructions for disassembly. The Airport card is right next to the hard drive, so the process is identical:
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/61/
In theory it should also be the same for an iMac Core Duo (and even a 17"" iMac Core 2 1.83 GHz). We will try to perform this swap at the same time as we try to install a Core 2 Duo in one of these machines.
Edited and translated by: jwa
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