Airport Extreme AR5BXB72 Atheros in a 2009 Mac Pro Slow speeds

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Airport Extreme AR5BXB72 Atheros in a 2009 Mac Pro Slow speeds

i have an early 2009 mac pro 2x2.26 quad core intel xeon processor (32 gb ram) and the airport extreme card is the AR5BXB72 card with the number 0205340A underneath the model number...fcc ppd ar58xb72p and ic 4104arbxb72p.....my problem is with my internet fiber provider, i have 80 mbs up and 80 mbs down....the wifi on the mac is only getting approximately 27 mbs up and down ...and when plugged directly in with the ethernet cable (had to use a 100 ft cable to make the reach in the next room) , i got 71 mbs up and down.... i was told that the older g series wifi aren't letting the faster speeds come thru....i'm using a time capsule with wifi built in for the wireless....my laptop on the other hand, gets 75 mbs up and down, so that tells me it must be something with the card on the mac pro? i haven't been able to find out exactly what the card is as far as a/b/g/n as it's not printed on the card and so far haven't been able to find info on it....one reseller where i originally bought the mac pro said it wasn't upgradable (wifi in my mac pro)....the local reseller (not an apple store) say they can replace it, but can't guarantee results....so.... my question is, does anyone know if this is an older card and if it is indeed upgradable to the newer a/b/g/n cards that would allow the faster speeds to come thru? or is this a card that should allow faster speeds and i have another issue? diagnostics tell me all is working ok and the base station has the latest firmware....fyi - my laptop is a macbook pro early 2011...2.4 ghz intel i7 with 8 gb ram

Posted on Jul 9, 2014 3:19 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 9, 2014 5:49 PM in response to bucko13

What do you get when you hold option and click on the WiFi Icon, like this:

ALSO: How many other networks are shown?

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Answer 2

bucko13 Author

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Jul 9, 2014 6:13 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

PHY Mode: 802.11n

BSSID: e8:8d:28:5e:60:e1

Channel: 11 (2.4 GHz)

Security: WPA2 Personal

RSSI: -71

Transmit Rate: 39

MCS Index: 4

i have Bill's Wifi and Guest....this evening when i checked those were the only 2....earlier this afternoon there were 2 others besides mine, so the answer at they present is 2 to 4 other networks including my guest.... should it be receiving the higher rate of speed since it has the n after the 802.11?

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Answer 3

Jul 9, 2014 6:31 PM in response to bucko13

PHY Mode: 802.11n

802.11n-mode is the fastest you can get on that Router. It is easily capable of 72.2 with a good connection on that band with no interference. If you had a dual-band Router, you could be using a 40MHz channel. That is capable of at least 150, and often twice that.

Channel: 11 (2.4 GHz)

You are using the older 2.4GHz band, which means you have only three clear channels to pick from, and as many as 4 other networks plus baby monitors, microwave ovens, and other devices competing for them.

RSSI: -71

That signal is too weak for a fast connection. You need to move your Router and your MacBook closer together.

Transmit Rate: 39

Out of a possible 72.2 with one stream on 2.4GHz [at least twice that if on 5GHz]. This means too far away and too much interference is causing the link to slow down.

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Answer 4

bucko13 Author

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Jul 9, 2014 6:41 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

that makes a lot of sense....but why is the macbook pro laptop getting the speeds on the same system and the mac pro not? they are both in the same room (time capsule/wifi router is in the next room behind)....so shouldn't the laptop be experiencing interference as well? the tower is on the floor underneath the desk.. and of course the laptop is on the desk....the rssi was a -70 on the laptop but the transmit rate was 217 with 6 other networks showing up ...i am showing good signal strength on the mac pro...

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Answer 5

Jul 9, 2014 6:59 PM in response to bucko13

-70 for signal strength is not so great either. You should be getting better from the next room. If you are shooting those signals through solid masonry, or Plaster over Wire Lath, that drops the signals quite a bit.

If you have a modern Airport Extreme/Time capsule, you should be seeing the 5GHz band, and making the connection there. You should make sure you have the latest Airport Utility (I have 6.3.2) and check to be sure BOTH 2.4GHz and 5GHz are ON. Most Users get best results from "Automatic" channel assignment for both, and resetting the Router will then cause it to re-evaluate which is the best channel in each band, and jump there.

That MacBook must be connecting on the 5GHz band to get getting 217 for a data rate. A couple of clicks down from the top speed.

That might suggest you have the WiFi card for the older Mac Pro -- or maybe its antennas are not hooked up properly.

It looks like the older card was still capable of 802.11n speeds.

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Answer 6

Jul 9, 2014 7:15 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

This is what my Mac Pro 2009 shows for its Standard Hardware:

>> Channels above 14 are in the 5GHz band.

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Answer 7

bucko13 Author

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Jul 9, 2014 8:03 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

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Answer 8

bucko13 Author

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Jul 9, 2014 8:09 PM in response to bucko13

it appears that i have similar channels....as far as i can tell i have version 7.6.4 on the airport time capsule....i have weekly updates checked so it should have the latest update.... my question is how will i get it to latch on to one of the higher channels? i was also wondering if the antennae were set up correctly as well as i have read 2 different things so far....it appears that 1 2 and 3 are connected to the airport card however it's a tight space and i didn't move anything around, just looked to get the numbers off the card....mine is in the bottom left of the case and i had to remove the ram trays to get to it ...

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Answer 9

Jul 9, 2014 8:23 PM in response to bucko13

It looks like it should connect on 157, except that the signal is lower -76, where channel 11 is higher at -71.

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Answer 10

Jul 9, 2014 8:56 PM in response to bucko13

Maybe that is an antenna connection problem. I seem to recall there was controversy over which wires go to which terminals, and some Mac Pros having four wires and expecting you to connect the proper three. I can't remember the details, but that is what Internet searching or a specifically-titled forum topic might dig up.

You had to move the RAM trays? in the 2009 model there is one huge processor/RAM slide-out shelf. Could you possibly have the 2008 model [Mac Pro 3,1]? if so, you probably have the correct card, as mine is a 2009 with the slide-out shelf.

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