What wireless card do I need to replace the one in my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)?

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Level 1

4 points

What wireless card do I need to replace the one in my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)?

My Wi-Fi on my macbook pro goes out several times a day, although all of my other devices are doing just fine. My macbook pro wifi keeps disconnecting over and over again. Sometimes restarting the computer helps, sometimes it doesn't. I want to replace the wireless card with either another of what it already has (it has lasted 10 years) or with an upgrade and I am wondering which one I need to purchase. Thank you! Here are the details of my Macbook Pro:

Running: macOS Monterey (Version 12.7.6)- I'm pretty sure I can't update to any further versions because the computer is 10 years old.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

Processor: 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5

Memory: 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3

Graphics: Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

I see this in my system report, but if I'm being honest, I may as well be reading a language I don't speak :

Card Type: Wi-Fi (0x14E4, 0x133)

Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (7.77.111.1 AirPortDriverBrcmNIC-1710.4)

MAC Address: left out for security reasons but I can post if necessary

Locale: FCC

Country Code: US

Supported PHY Modes: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Supported Channels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124, 128, 132, 136, 140, 144, 149, 153, 157, 161, 165

Wake On Wireless: Supported

AirDrop: Supported

AirDrop Channel: 149

Auto Unlock: Supported

Status: Connected

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Mar 2, 2025 10:13 AM

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Answer 1

g_wolfman

Level 4

3,502 points

Mar 2, 2025 11:39 AM in response to Riversmom20

The Wifi cards on Macs are not replacable, as they are soldered directly to the logic board. Replacing them involves replacing the logic board (and everything else connected to it).

You are better off finding a USB Wifi adaptor. Or, best off replacing an almost decade-old computer - especially given that it has an i5 processor and only 8GB of RAM...

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Answer 2

Riversmom20 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 2, 2025 11:58 AM in response to g_wolfman

I have watched YouTube videos of people replacing them and was ultimately was able to find one on eBay a few moments ago.

If I could afford a new computer, I would have a new computer. I’m a disabled person living in low income housing. Not everyone has the disposable income to drop $1k+ on a new computer.

Also, none of the usb adapters work with my OS because it’s “too new.”

This was profoundly unhelpful.

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Answer 3

g_wolfman

Level 4

3,502 points

Mar 2, 2025 3:23 PM in response to Riversmom20

I would be surprised if you could replace anything in a 2015 Retina Macbook Pro - maybe the SSD because that was the last thing that Apple soldered to the board and that might have started in 2016. But even that involved a proprietary adapter cable...and there's a reason Apple went to pentalobe screws around that time. Which is that nothing in the computer was made to be user-replaceable anymore.

I'm sorry you find that unhelpful - but it is the facts whether we like them or not.

I hope you got lucky and the video you found was actually for the same model you own, and that you are successful in your attempt to repair your Wifi card.

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What wireless card do I need to replace the one in my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)?

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