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Uggghh I really wanted to get one but it’s out of stock. Is this just a newer card enclosed in an adaptor? Could I just hack a wifi cable to add the connector on other end or does it need additional resistors etc?
It's the PCIE connector they're soldering on with a custom pcb - not really possible to do another way
 
I rather just hack the cable, which is fine for my needs. My logic board is already messed with jumper cables lol
I mean you can try, but good luck sourcing the custom connector Apple uses. That's why this is so awesome, they did all the (very complex) soldering and parts sourcing for you!
 
I mean you can try, but good luck sourcing the custom connector Apple uses. That's why this is so awesome, they did all the (very complex) soldering and parts sourcing for you!
Why do you have to be so condescending? Some of us have been doing this for awhile. I would love to just buy it, but it's not in stock and won't be for awhile.
 
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Why do you have to be so condescending? Some of us have been doing this for awhile. I would love to just buy it, but it's not in stock and won't be for awhile.
I'm not being condescending, the parts in question are just difficult to source and assemble without crap RF performance. If you're a microsoldering genius, good for you! Go nuts.
 
I'm not being condescending, the parts in question are just difficult to source and assemble without crap RF performance. If you're a microsoldering genius, good for you! Go nuts.
Eye roll. The connector isn't related to RF performance. I don't need your sass, save that for your guitar.
 
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Reposted from the Big Sur on unsupported Macs thread for those looking to upgrade:

Happy to report my install has been successful and very smooth on a 15" Mid 2012 Unibody MBP. I didn't have to do anything else outside of the initial patching process as my subtle design @troop231 WiFi/BT upgrade proved to be supported right out of the box.

If someone is attempting to start from scratch with this particular configuration you will have to go wired through the ethernet port to start and go through internet recovery. Once Catalina is installed, then installing a patched Big Sur usb media installer is a breeze.

Windows 10 Pro installed via Bootcamp also went extremely smoothly when setting up through Big Sur.

If there is anything people with this particular MBP would like me to test out let me know.
 
Uggghh I really wanted to get one but it’s out of stock. Is this just a newer card enclosed in an adaptor? Could I just hack a wifi cable to add the connector on other end or does it need additional resistors etc?
It's a newer card that replaces the card inside the laptop. If you look at the install instructions on the subtle.design site, you'll get a better idea.
 
Everything’s easy to the person who hasn’t done it.

Knock yourself out and report back.
Hey can you post your results/pinouts here? would love to make a custom cable to make the new ac cards work in my MacBook. Not a newbie to soldering either :)
 
Thanks to you @troop231 ans our friends over at the Opencore for Mac Pro thread, I am running Big Sur on my Mid 2012 MBP with no issues!
09DC4AA9-0BA9-4576-B24E-0EC805385BEF.jpeg
 
One of my macbook 17 2011 runs a patched Mojave and runs like a charm. Also patched Catalina. Perfect. Just in case anyone wants to try. When a full installer of Catalina with the last Security Update is realeased, I will tell you how it goes.
It's been released. Not sure when since I didn't check till today.

I tested Internet Recovery/Reinstall this morning on my 2012 MBP—over WiFi, of course. That Catalina 10.15.7 install includes the latest updates and patches. In fact, boot and shutdown times were lowered enough to be noticeable so I ran IR/Reinstall MacOS on my iMac Pro with similar, positive results.

All is good here, Deep in the Heart of the Sillie Con Valley.
 
It's been released. Not sure when since I didn't check till today.

I tested Internet Recovery/Reinstall this morning on my 2012 MBP—over WiFi, of course. That Catalina 10.15.7 install includes the latest updates and patches. In fact, boot and shutdown times were lowered enough to be noticeable so I ran IR/Reinstall MacOS on my iMac Pro with similar, positive results.

All is good here, Deep in the Heart of the Sillie Con Valley.
 
Can you share some links or tips? Thanks

Only thing I changed to the config.plist is VMM, GOP Render, Hide boot picker, Black bootloader (so it can look like newer macs) all of which are at the end of Part 1.
 
Thanks @troop231 for this hardware update. As soon as I received it a month ago, I brought it to my local Mac repair specialists who removed the stock WiFi hardware and put in this one for a fee as I don't have the required tools. I had to show them the instruction and run it through with the guy who asked "What do I do with the fourth wire? Are you sure it's compatible? You won't have BT!" while I explained that it's built-in as a radio rendering it unnecessary.

In the kid's room, it managed 575Mbps. In the dining where it's closer to the router, it's as shown in the screen cap attached. Router model is Asus RT-AC68AU (N600,AC1300).
 

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Thanks @troop231 for this hardware update. As soon as I received it a month ago, I brought it to my local Mac repair replace specialists who removed the stock WiFi hardware and put in this one for a fee as I don't have the required tools. I had to show them the instruction and run it through with the guy who asked "What do I do with the fourth wire? Are you sure it's compatible? You won't have BT!" while I explained that it's built-in as a radio rendering it unnecessary.

In the kid's room, it managed 575Mbps. In the dining where it's closer to the router, it's as shown in the screen cap attached. Router model is Asus RT-AC68AU (N600,AC1300).
Nice!
 
OK so after a few months of research and a lot of patience from my side I finally managed to upgrade my 13' MBP to its limits. The last part was installing Big Sur on the machine which was quite tricky at the start. I had already read lots of similar experiences online and getting FileVault to work was a very common challenge. After a second clean install and a few restarts I finally managed to get that to work too! Running Big Sur on a 2012 MBP has been surprisingly smooth so far and the new Wifi card certainly enhances that experience; for one it is immediately recognised by the software and hence functions like handoff work smoothly. Also my laptop does not seem to struggle when running the new OS which means theoretically you could use it as an everyday computer.

There are however some BIG limitations. Firstly getting FileVault to work can be very tricky and not as straight forward, so unless you don't mind having it turned off (which is a HUGE safety risk if for example your computer is stolen), you'll have to manage to turn it on so you can keep your data safe. Secondly there is obviously no easy update option which means when the next update comes out you'll have to do another clean install and then restore from backup (and there is no guarantee you won't experience issues with FileVault again. Also, so far I have not been able to access safe mode while running Big Sur. Lots of people recommended installing Big Sur together with Catalina so that you can at least access a functional OS in case things go wrong.

I personally installed Big Sur on a separate SSD which I purchased for this reason. Over the next few months I will attempt to see whether this arrangement can work long term, and if it goes wrong I can always switch to the old drive which runs Catalina.
 
No plans for that, as it’s not possible.
Interesting. OK, I was just having troubling wrapping my head around how it works for the A1297 17" MacBook Pro (2010), as the original Wi-Fi module is in the display assembly. Do you have any pictures of how your upgrade card fits/works in the A1297?
 
Interesting. OK, I was just having troubling wrapping my head around how it works for the A1297 17" MacBook Pro (2010), as the original Wi-Fi module is in the display assembly. Do you have any pictures of how your upgrade card fits/works in the A1297?
It’s not compatible with that model at all due to that reason. Please see the list of supported models.
 
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