Just ordered my adapter for $2 and it works great! Soldered it up and taped it down and now I can use BT4.2 and WiFi AC on a 2011 MacBook. Files and instructions are on GitHub if you want to try it out.
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Upgrade Your MacBook's Wireless Card! (WiFI AC + BT4.2) (Open Source Guide!)
- Thread starter Krutav
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Glad it works.
I'd have done it myself but I don't feel comfortable with soldering and wanted a ready to go adapter
Edit to post: I have made the decision to not sell any of these as the demand is not quite high enough for me to start producing these, nor would it be in the best interest of others already producing and selling them. I encourage you to see their products as they are easy to use and still fairly inexpensive.
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I would absolutely buy one at that price, if you decide to make another pm me!!
Was going to grab one of the pre-built ones but the price jumped considerably this last drop and it's too much for me
Very much the same here.
I can't seem to find the instructions for the soldering connections on the GitHub. I probably just missed something but is it by chance under a different file type?
Looking back, it may not be possible for me to manufacture many of these, as I am focusing my efforts on a different product at the moment (Open source as well).
While it would be great to sell these at a low price, I would need to gather supplies and figure out how much demand there is before considering if it is worth it or not. I do however have extras that I may send out in the future, time will tell.
I recommend @jrumball’s design mentioned earlier as it’s fairly low cost and has a modular connector, so you can install and remove the wireless card as nothing is soldered.
For anyone in the United States that is interested in getting a PCB for the adapter to avoid the fabrication time, feel free to PM me! (You’ll have to assemble it yourself though.)
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The instructions should be under the fabrication files release and would detail how you can put it together. If it’s not there, let me know and I can probably rewrite and add it back.
There’s two ways of going about it, one is soldering the wireless card to the adapter PCB and another method is to apply even solder to the adapter PCB and tape the wireless card to it. Both methods work, with the latter being easier if you lack the necessary tools or experience.
The flex cable connector can be soldered on via heat gun or soldering iron. It’s recommended to put the connector on last if you’re using a heat gun to solder the wireless card on, as that will melt the flex cable connector.
I purchased the Intriguing Industries adapter and their recommended card for best performance off Amazon - total price of about $60. It took some work to fit the card in place. I modified the instructions a little in how to gut the bracket. I wanted to keep the card attached to the speaker. I used a M.2 mounting screw and stud to keep the card in place at the other end. Since the Bluetooth antenna is no longer needed and the fit was tight, I removed the Bluetooth antenna. I worked the camera cable and the longer wifi cable (J0) under the wifi card. I was able to tuck the J1 and J2 cables in the cavity in the corner. In the picture attached you can see the old and new setups. The new card was recognized. I now have ac wifi and watch unlock. This was a fun project. More pics of the work are available if interested.
www.intriguingindustries.co.uk
12+ 6 Adapter Kit v2 for MacBook Pro, MacBook, and Mac Mini - intriguing industries
Will upgrade you MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or Mac Mini up to 802.11ac 1300Mbps and BT 4.2 using a 12+6 WiFI card.
www.intriguingindustries.co.uk
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Hi guys. I am new to this forum but the topic intrigued me. I am a happy owner of macbook air A1466 Early 2015 and I was wondering if any of You have successfully swappend the original wifi card with something that supports ax speeds (wifi 6). I' ve just ordered this https://pl.aliexpress.com/item/4000246432872.html to do some testing on my own but maybe somebody have already tried this?