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Need new WIFI card, old one died again.

G

GameFreak348

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 28, 2014
152
0
Sup guys.

So i didnt use my Mac Pro 5.1 for like 1 month, now i turned it on, and the wifi card is dying again. This is the 2nd time this is happening, im so mad. I get 37MS 1.51mbs download and 3.97mbs upload on speedtest. My Macbook air and custom build pc get arround 15 ms, 25mbs download, and 5mbs upload. So i reinstalled drivers and everything but the connection is soooo poor and slow, on windows and mac os x. Since this is the 2nd wifi chip thats dying i asked myself if i could buy one with antennas, where you put them in the PCIE slots. I toke the other card from my custom build which is this one:
http://www.pc-ostschweiz.ch/product-2a15316469.htm?parnr=12833327&gclid=CJ-sgqTo3MMCFQEIwwodsxsAaA

But it didnt fit, i suppose thats because its PCI right?


So i was looking on the internet and found this, its PCIE, so it should work right? I will actually only be using windows on the mac pro.

http://www.itronic.ch/de/products/223491?ref=shoprocket

Sorry for bad grammar.
 
lmao this is funny, if i lay the mac pro down on the right side(ram facing you) I get 4 bars, 2.8 Mbs download speed, If i put on the side cover, i lose 500kbs and 1 bar, if i put the mac pro normally like it stands i get 1 bar and 30 kbs of download speed. silly mac pro
 
Just a vouch for that Wireless card. I own 3 of them, and they're the greatest thing I have ever used for the price. Perfect, ootb functionality under OS X. Currently using it in my main workstation, as I type this.
 
I'm not too enthusiastic about this card (TP-LINK TL-WDN4800). sure, it works OOTB with Snow Leopard and up. but: reception is worse than with my MacPro4,1 and the mini PCIe card on internal antennas (the same like the one I sold you months ago). plus, the country code is not set properly (or not set at all). this leads to a limited number of supported channels on the 5 GHz band. instead of going up to channel 140 this card only supports channels up to 64. I even installed Windows 7 because I was hoping that the country code would be set proprly.

the mediocre reception might be due to the tiny antennas delivered with the card. I gues with better antennas the reception could be improved big time...
 
I really dont wanna buy another one of these chips that will just die again couple months later, thanks ill just get the WDN4800
 
GameFreak348 said:
I really dont wanna buy another one of these chips that will just die again couple months later, thanks ill just get the WDN4800
Click to expand...

I never saw one of these cards die, not a single one. maybe there's something wrong with your antennas? did you check them with an ohm meter? maybe there's a short? just an idea, since you had more than one card going bad...
 
the 1st card is really dead, the 2nd works perfectly if i put the mac pro flat on the side were i can see the graphic cards etc, but as soon as i put it in the normal position i lose all the connection. i get 100kb and 1 bar. thats why i dont want a wifi chip again. What download speed did you get with the 4800 and with how many bars?
 
debugging a flaky WiFi connection can be a complicated and timeconsuming task.

check on what channels your neighbour's access points are. use "Wifi Explorer" you'll find in the Mac App Store. avoid using the same channels as your neighbours, of course. 2.4 GHz works better through a lot of concrete than 5.0 GHz does.

try to connect using a DEVOLO starter kit: http://www.toppreise.ch/prod_227284.html

get an AirPort Express and configure it as a client. then connect it to the MacPro using an ethernet cable. you can place the APExpress somewhere in your room where you're getting the best reception.
 
Last edited:
Every other device works fine. i tried these things out already and as i said, as soon as i put the mac pro on its feet the wifi dies. if i lay it down i get all my connection. should i just get the wlan card because i cant really afford a aiport express right now
 
I highly doubt that the TP-LINK card will solve your problems with weak reception. the antennas delivered with the card are crap. I tested the card with my own antennas and the reception went up by about 33%! on the other hand: WiFi is often a case of trial an error. maybe it'll work out for you when using the TP-LINK card...
 
GameFreak348 said:
Sup guys.

So i didnt use my Mac Pro 5.1 for like 1 month, now i turned it on, and the wifi card is dying again. This is the 2nd time this is happening, im so mad. I get 37MS 1.51mbs download and 3.97mbs upload on speedtest. My Macbook air and custom build pc get arround 15 ms, 25mbs download, and 5mbs upload. So i reinstalled drivers and everything but the connection is soooo poor and slow, on windows and mac os x. Since this is the 2nd wifi chip thats dying i asked myself if i could buy one with antennas, where you put them in the PCIE slots. I toke the other card from my custom build which is this one:
http://www.pc-ostschweiz.ch/product-2a15316469.htm?parnr=12833327&gclid=CJ-sgqTo3MMCFQEIwwodsxsAaA

But it didnt fit, i suppose thats because its PCI right?


So i was looking on the internet and found this, its PCIE, so it should work right? I will actually only be using windows on the mac pro.

http://www.itronic.ch/de/products/223491?ref=shoprocket

Sorry for bad grammar.
Click to expand...

Here is a genuine , factory installed mini PCIe wireless card for the Mac Pro 5,1 (2010-12) . Accept no imitations .

APN = 825-7213-A and with an EEE = 6KA . You need both of these model numbers . EEE number is the last four alphanumeric digits of a part's serial number , minus the last digit .

With a 802.11 G wireless router and a DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem I am able to achieve 17 Mb/s downstream and 7.5 Mb/s upstream performance .

They are rare and expensive , but currently on sale at DVWarehouse for about 40 USD plus shipping .

http://www.dvwarehouse.com/661-4907...,-Mid-2010-and-Mid-2012-MB988Z/A-p-37532.html
 

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Machines said:
Here is a genuine , factory installed mini PCIe wireless card for the Mac Pro 5,1 (2010-12) . Accept no imitations .

APN = 825-7213-A and with an EEE = 6KA . You need both of these model numbers . EEE number is the last four alphanumeric digits of a part's serial number , minus the last digit .

With a 802.11 G wireless router and a DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem I am able to achieve 17 Mb/s downstream and 7.5 Mb/s upstream performance .

They are rare and expensive , but currently on sale at DVWarehouse for about 40 USD plus shipping .

http://www.dvwarehouse.com/661-4907...,-Mid-2010-and-Mid-2012-MB988Z/A-p-37532.html
Click to expand...

meh, that's last gen junk.

the card i posted in my link is a modern 802.11ac wifi card from a current macbook pro. Which is great cuz it means OS X already has the kernel extensions for it.
 
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