Airport Extreme 802.11n upgrade options for early Intel Core Duo iMac

Question

Airport Extreme 802.11n upgrade options for early Intel Core Duo iMac

I have an iMac from mid 2006. I recently purchased a Timecapsule - partly for the wireless back ups, and partly to upgrade my wireless network to 802.11n. There is a software upgrade from Apple that upgrades older 802.11 a/b/g Airport cards in the iMac to 'n' standard. Here is the link:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/D4141ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Mg&mco=MjIzMDkzNA

The page states that the upgrade is compatible "If you have a Mac with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (except the 17-inch, 1.83GHz iMac)". What it doesn't tell you is that if you have an early version of the iMac (pre-Sept 2006) that shipped with the Intel Core Duo Processor (note - not the Core 2 Duo) then the upgrade will not work. I have also tried to install Airport Extreme updates (2007002 and 2008004) and these report that the hardware is not compatible. Doing some searching around these forums and others, the issue with the original Core Duo iMacs not being upgradeable to 802.11n is out there - shame Apple weren't more explicit.

I have seen that there are various USB based 802.11n adapters available. Whilst searching on this topic, I also came across a site offering various Mac upgrades, including an upgrade to the Airport card to upgrade wireless capability from 802.11g to 802.11n. It looks like a straight replacement for the internal card - link here:

http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/productinfo.php?productsid=461

The company offering this is in the UK, but the product appears to be from a Sonnet, a US company. Does anyone out there have experience of installing this product (or having it installed) and can you comment on how it performs? Is it a seamless replacement for the original Airport card?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.7), Core Duo Processor (early 2006)

Posted on May 29, 2009 1:30 AM

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Answer 1

deivy

Level 4

2,365 points

Jun 14, 2009 7:00 PM in response to Graham Disney

Graham,
Thanks for your info.
I was thinking of doing the same thing you are. I checked the wireless card you suggested and checked its price.... $129.00
Well, I have no experience with this card, but let me suggest something else, Apple's Airport Express costs $99 and you do not have to install anything!!!
So... The current setup I have here is two of my computers are connected to an Airport Express via an ethernet cable. My Express are older, "g", and I use this setup to be able to use wake-on-lan.
It works flawlessly with my Airport Extreme network.
So my suggestion is forget the card and use the express, is cheaper, easier and a sure shot!

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Answer 2

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,541 points

Jun 14, 2009 9:09 PM in response to deivy

But it does not get him 802.11n, which is what the post is all about!

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Answer 3

Jun 14, 2009 10:18 PM in response to Graham Disney

What it doesn't tell you is that if you have an early version of the iMac (pre-Sept 2006) that shipped with the Intel Core Duo Processor (note - not the Core 2 Duo) then the upgrade will not work.

If it says you need to have a Core "2" Duo processor, then it seems to me they are telling you very clearly that it will not work with the earlier Core (no "2") Duo iMacs.

The "late 2006" iMacs with Core 2 Duo (except for that one education model they mentioned) have wireless networking hardware that is 802.11n capable. When they were initially sold, Apple chose to NOT enable the "n" capability for some reason; maybe because the standard was still in flux and not enough testing had been done with the driver. Later, they enabled the "n" capability with a firmware update. But that was only possible because the wireless hardware was already capable of doing "n."

Earlier iMacs do not have this hardware so there is no way to enable it with a firmware or software update. 802.11g is plenty fast enough for Internet access (you won't notice a difference with "n"). If you are using Time Machine over wireless, it may take a while longer to do that initial backup (you could connected it by Ethernet cable when it is doing that initial backup), but subsequent backups are incremental, so the "g" versus "n" speed difference will not be as critical. Since your iMac is Core Duo (32-bit) and the future of Mac OS X is 64-bit, especially after Snow Leopard's release, it may be best to save your money and keep your iMac intact (not opened).

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Answer 4

deivy

Level 4

2,365 points

Jun 16, 2009 6:51 AM in response to Dah•veed

"But it does not get him 802.11n, which is what the post is all about!"

Says who?

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB321LL/A/AirPort-Express-AirTunes?fnode=MTY1N DA0Mg&mco=MjE0NDc0OQ

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Answer 5

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,541 points

Jun 16, 2009 8:57 AM in response to deivy

Please go read his post!
He has an Early 2006 iMac Core Duo, which I also have. The AirPort card in the Early 2006 iMacs Core Duo is incapable of the 802.11n standard. 802.11n is not built into the card. It is a, b & g only! The card can never do 802.11n.
So no matter how fast his wireless device used to create the network, he can never achieve 802.11n with his iMac with its current card.
Which is why he posted in the first place, to ask about the upgrade card offered by Sonnet. He wanted to know if anyone has used the card as a replacement in the model of iMac that he has, and if so how well does it work.
But as Kenichi has pointed out, those speeds are all theoretical, usually never achieved, and effected by many varying factors. One factor is that all it takes is one device that is incapable of 802.11n joining the wireless LAN, and the whole thing slows down to the speed of the weakest link. Unless you have one of the new dual frequency devices that let 802.11n devices join at one frequency, and slower devices at anotherer frequency.

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Answer 6

deivy

Level 4

2,365 points

Jun 17, 2009 9:01 AM in response to Dah•veed

David... reread my post.
Through the wireless card in the garbage for all I care.
Get an Airport Express "n", connect the Airpot Express "n", via ethernet, to the iMac.
Use the AE as the wireless connection. The iMac is connected via ethernet.
The advantages, you can use Wake-on-Lan to wake up remote computers.
In terms of buying a new "n" card or buying the AE "n", it is cheaper to by the AE "n" and it is easier to "install".
My computers at home are "g" and I have "g" AE. I use the setup above basically because of then
WoL feature.
Got it?

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Answer 7

Dah•veed

Level 9

66,541 points

Jun 17, 2009 1:30 PM in response to deivy

Sorry, I did not get that from your first post at all. Now you have detailed it more step by step, and I can see the original point that you were making.
So you are offering that Graham's iMac connected by Ethernet cable to a new Airport Express, which is 802.11n draft standard, on an 802.11n wireless network will get him as close to "n" speed as putting out US$50.00 more money for the Sonnet AirPort upgrade card. Plus as an added bonus, he does not have to crack the case on his iMac and go rummaging around inside.
OK. I gots it.

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Answer 8

deivy

Level 4

2,365 points

Jun 18, 2009 4:45 PM in response to Dah•veed

Right!
"Plus as an added bonus, he does not have to crack the case on his iMac and go rummaging around inside."

Plus *2* added bonus, the one mentioned above and you can control your Mac remotely much better.
Certainly you can use screen sharing if the Mac is awake, what if it is not?
The, because the iMac is connected via ethernet you can use WoL to wake up your remote iMac and use it.

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