Best WiFi USB dongle for Mac Pro (early 2009)?

I want to add WiFi to my early 2009 Mac Pro, mainly so I can use AirPlay and AirDrop

I'm guessing the easiest way to achieve this is with a USB WiFi dongle?

My router is a BT Home Hub 4 and there's also an Airport Express (one of the earlier ones that plugs direct into the mains socket, not like the current model on a cable) in range.

Please ease can anyone suggest a suitable WiFi dongle that will work with this setup?

Mac Pro (early 2009)-OTHER, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Jul 17, 2015 10:46 PM

Top-ranking reply

Nestmac

Level 1

106 points

Posted on Jul 18, 2015 3:58 PM

Why don't you buy an Airport Card instead of buying a USB Dongle? The card is very simple to install, plug-in, 2 screws and attach the cable for the antennas and it is located at easy reach to install. This way you can have better communication and a free USB slot. The price is about $30.00 to $40.00 and you can find it on Ebay or Amazon. You can search for videos in You Tube that demonstrate this simple task.

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18 replies

Robin Johnson Author

Level 2

226 points

Jul 29, 2015 1:08 AM in response to rokko102

Thanks for the suggestion. The Newertech dongle is working just fine for me 😉

lllaass

Level 10

210,519 points

Jul 18, 2015 1:52 AM in response to Robin Johnson

See:

http://www.macvidcards.com/store/p33/Wifi_AC_and_Bluetooth_Airport_Card.html

To my knowledge your Mac still will not support AirPlay since The other computer hardware does not support AIrPlay

Here is an AC wifi dongle that is compatible with a Mac. Although the page only says as high as OSX 10.9 they have drivers for 10.10 that you have to download (they do not come on the CD that ships with the device)

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,180 points

Jul 23, 2015 2:34 PM in response to Robin Johnson

thanks thats good to know. I didn't know that AirPlay worked on Ye Older Mac Pro's. I am glad to hear that you found a work around and that everything

(at least for WiFi) is okay. I don't know beans about Logic Pro 9, but yes, apparently it doesn't play nicely with Yosemite. your hardware that you plugin/use has to support Yosemite as well. I'm with you on this one. If what you have works fine with Mavericks, and you like it, and can't see any good reason to upgrade to Logic Pro X, then stick with what you have and what you know works well. No sense upgrading if it's going to cause you nothing but trouble, just for the sake of upgrading.... kinda learned that lesson when I tried to get my wifi working and extended in 10.10 Yosemite, plus other stuff which I won't go into here. Not good. Now all fixed in 10.10.4 but had to be patient, wait, and take the advice of others who had gone before me...

John B

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Best WiFi USB dongle for Mac Pro (early 2009)?