I recently picked up a used mid 2012 MP and always plugged into ethernet for my 70 mbps service from Comcast. I recently moved and now my Cisco wireless router is located on the opposite side of the house (where I want it, away from my office and bedroom), and my wireless wifi is down to 1 mbps! Is there a way to increase the speed without relocating my router? At this time I can't use a wired connection. Antenna? New card? Thanks!
Mac Pro, macOS 10.14
Here is apple card. You want the BCM94360 version not the BCM94331.
And this is adapter.
Use them just to find products from your own eBay account.. I am in Australia.. so your pricing will be different.
I just grabbed the first ones I could find.
There could be cheaper or better sellers.
The advantage of these over the Fenvi card is using a genuine Apple card ensures you have everything working properly including bluetooth. Handoff continuity etc.
And the speed is going to be good under any Mac OS.. some of the equivalent cards work fine in earlier versions but have later issues.. if you intend to use Mojave read very carefully whether these will work.. that is unknown as I have not yet tested it.
Here is apple card. You want the BCM94360 version not the BCM94331.
And this is adapter.
Use them just to find products from your own eBay account.. I am in Australia.. so your pricing will be different.
I just grabbed the first ones I could find.
There could be cheaper or better sellers.
The advantage of these over the Fenvi card is using a genuine Apple card ensures you have everything working properly including bluetooth. Handoff continuity etc.
And the speed is going to be good under any Mac OS.. some of the equivalent cards work fine in earlier versions but have later issues.. if you intend to use Mojave read very carefully whether these will work.. that is unknown as I have not yet tested it.
Yes.. although it is difficult to know if the issue is not going to continue with another brand.
I would do a wireless survey using a laptop or your phone.. just to see if it gets decent signal and speed in the location of your MacPro. Having the router well away from your office does seem a bit strange.. but anyhow.. what does the phone/laptop pickup in the same location?
A new card is unlikely to fix it.. and it is difficult to obtain the right cards for the slot.
https://www.tweaking4all.com/hardware/apple-computers/mac-pro-wifi-2008-2012/
Check the model card it has now.. and if the Cisco shows wireless signal at its end.. check how much signal you get.. wireless is always a two way dance.. strong signal from one side is not going to help if signal from the other is still poor.
Since you have the luxury of slots.. ah.. the bliss of slots. There are quite a number of excellent PC cards on the market.. i won't give URL to where they are listed.. because the naughty people there build their own Mac Pros.. out of.. shock horror.. PC parts.
Try a google search for Tony and Mac.. then look at the current buy list and wireless cards. TP-Link T9E or T8E for example should be fully Mac compatible.. but do check the forums.
There are occasionally USB wireless sticks that work. but seldom have good range.
There are two alternatives.
You can use Powerline Adapters.. (EOP or Homeplug in the US). These can work very well if the power cabling mets certain standards. Not multiple phase.. not breakers..
A set of AV1200 or AV2000 worked great for me during renovation when ethernet was cut.
This IMHO is much better than any wireless solution if you cannot run real ethernet. It is trial and error to see if it works.. so check the stores return policy.. but if they work .. they tend to work well without changing with temperature, wind speed, time of day, phase of the moon etc. As wireless is the least reliable form of networking anything with wires (almost) is preferred.
In the US they also sell MCoA which is same kind of thing for use over antenna cabling.. and some phone cabling ones are also available.
A wireless bridge.
Wireless routers have a number of variations.. WAP (wireless access point) and bridge which means wireless to ethernet.
That takes the wireless issue away from the Mac and makes it a separate box which can be located in a better spot in the room with the connection to the Mac by ethernet.
Suitable bridges must work with your main cisco router. Perhaps give us actual model number.
There are usually ones closely tied by brand.. like Apple routers can do wireless extend and bridge but only to another Apple router. Most brands do have some proprietary products for extending and bridging wireless.
There are also universal type repeaters and bridges. (most repeaters will work as a bridge).
For Powerline Adapters there is nothing to plug into the computer.. it is just plugged to the Mac by ethernet at one end and by ethernet to the router at the other.
If you want to buy AC wireless card.. and it has to be compatible slot..
Let me dig it out for you.
PCI-E slot in MacPro you have two 4 lane PCI-E 2.0 and two 16 lane PCI-E 2.0 slots.
The card like TP-Link T8E
Has the correct slot to work.. as do most of the cards.. BUT you might find drivers do not work very well.
In fact you might be better buying a genuine Apple card in a PCI-e slot adapter.
I am using a unit like this now.. it is a broadcom based card.. and has fully Apple bios in it.
They cost around $50 US from eBay.
I picked up a used D-Link powerline adapter, plugged it in, and......WAMBAMTHANKYOUMAM! Speed went from .2 Mbps on wifi to 54 Mbps on ethernet cable! I was expecting the worst outcome as my office is about 40 ft. and many walls away from the router, and the electric circuit is on a different breaker, but it worked well so far. Thanks all for the advice.
Whoops, I just found out that the powerline adapters have to be on the same circuit to work. My office is on the other side of my house.....
Same circuit does not mean the same run.. just the same phase.. as long as they connect to each other through the fuse box it will still work.. but some speed reduction simply due to more wire length.
AC wireless cards for PCI-E slot can work.. but you are better with longer antenna cables.. so it can be moved to better location.
TP-Link wireless cards also can work. Just check the slot complies.
Thanks for the detailed response. I am using a Cisco Linksys E1000 wifi router. I have no idea how fast it is, but I get at least 60 mbs using ethernet to my laptop and about 30 using the wifi. I found this on Amazon and they say its plug 'n play with good reviews, but it seems to kill the bluetooth function. I like the idea of a network based on house wiring and will look into that next.
Thanks. Any speed is good. Last night my Speedtest download speed was .2 Mbps! So, it looks like a powerline adapter will give me the best speed for the buck. I will look for a used one on Ebay. What does "just check the slot complies" mean? I know nothing about PCI slots, except there are a couple of empty ones in the back of my Mac.
Wifi is convenient, but I don't like the idea of RF energy flowing through our bodies 24/7. It doesn't kill right away, but neither does alcohol or smoking. And there's so much of it floating around from neighbors, cell towers, wireless phones, cell phones, bluetooth, smart meters, etc. Anytime you go out in public, shopping, to a restaurant, even to a medical facility, you're exposed. Humans have never been exposed to so much electronic fog. And it's going to get worse with 5G, 20x stronger and more ubiquitous, the safety of which has never even been studied by the corporations pushing it onto us, and the government knows that it hasn't. So that's why my wifi is as far away from my office and bedroom as possible. I'm also using a shielded cable from the D-Link adapter to the computer. So far, so good.
Whoops, I just found out that the powerline adapters have to be on the same circuit to work. My office is on the other side of my house.....
Thanks again. Could you lead me to the Apple card with a link on Ebay? Mid 2012 Mac Pro, 10.14
What model is the D-Link.. ?
I actually think using Powerline adapters is better than wireless.. because if it works properly it tends to stay working properly. Wireless is half science and about 80% voodoo. (with black arts they don't add up so good!!)
poor wifi reception mid 2012 mac pro
