Apple Quietly Releases 802.11n Enabler

[Westside guy]

I really want to get one of the new Airport Extreme routers, but it seems like there are so many places people could get bit with this particular "Rev A" product... so I'm going to wait at least a couple months to hear how other peoples' experiences go.

Not to mention that I haven't been able to find any particularly technical information, even on Apple's "technical specs" page for the new AE. Things like what disk formats are supported (yes it does matter).

 

[SiliconAddict]

You are right and I stand corrected.At the time I discovered the .n I had no access to a .n router so I presumed it just needed a firmware update.

So much for theories!

Just to be clear I wasn't hacking or rolling my eyes at you; just Apple.

So I cracked open the case of my MacBook Pro Core Duo 1.83GHz machine tonight to install a 120 GB hard drive, and happend to notice how simple it would be to install one of the new 802.11n Airport Cards. The card itself is seated on the left side of the keyboard. From as near as I could tell, it's similar to how the Airport Cards are installed in the iBook G4's. Slide it into the slot, connect the cables and you're on your way. I wonder how long it will be before you can pick one up and install it yourself? Or does it also require the newer Intel chipset?

Sighs. You need to understand. While you might be able to physically insert a card there IS a difference between a G and an N card. That being a 3rd antenna. Unless you plan on stringing it throughout your computer. Its not going to work.

 

[Willis]

Not sure if its been mentioned yet... but whats this about?

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airportextremeupdate2007001.html

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Not sure if its been mentioned yet... but whats this about?

This:

Description: An out-of-bounds memory read may occur while handling wireless frames. An attacker in local proximity may be able to trigger a system crash by sending a maliciously-crafted frame to an affected system. This issue affects the Core Duo version of Mac mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro computers equipped with wireless. Other systems, including the Core 2 Duo versions are not affected. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of wireless frames. Credit to LMH for reporting this issue.

(and, yes, it has been mentioned... )

 

[aristobrat]

Is that the update that's been showing up in Software Update on the applicable C2D Macs?

 

[ilkevinli]

The N card requires 3 antennas. The core duo notebooks only have 2.

So I cracked open the case of my MacBook Pro Core Duo 1.83GHz machine tonight to install a 120 GB hard drive, and happend to notice how simple it would be to install one of the new 802.11n Airport Cards. The card itself is seated on the left side of the keyboard. From as near as I could tell, it's similar to how the Airport Cards are installed in the iBook G4's. Slide it into the slot, connect the cables and you're on your way. I wonder how long it will be before you can pick one up and install it yourself? Or does it also require the newer Intel chipset?

 

[johnpaul191]

Hi.
What, if I have two MacBooks with the 802.11n cards (+enabler). Can I use them in Ad-Hoc mode for fast data transfer? How fast would this be?

Thanks,
Fritz

Yes and FAST!
let's put it this way, 802.11N (or draftN) is fast enough to stream high quality video. people are saying it's about 4x faster than 802.11a or g AND better range.

another very practical use is if you have, say a core2duo iMac and a MacBook. you can hook up the iMac to ethernet and make it run as a base station. that way you don't have to buy a base station at all.

to relay the iMac's (or Mac Pro or whatever) internet connection you go into System Prefs -> Sharing -> Internet
it's pretty straight forward to set up. you can make it secure or not bla bla bla.
you can also just go under the airport menu to link 2 machines for file sharing like you asked about.
i have an older AirPort and i have not replaced it because i'm using a newish iMac to relay the WiFi till i am sure the 802.11N in the new base stations (Apple's or others) is 100% happy with the new standard..... my laptop is also not even 802.11g so whatever. it does cover weak spots now that we effectively have 2 base stations in the house.

 

[sycho]

Yes and FAST!
let's put it this way, 802.11N (or draftN) is fast enough to stream high quality video. people are saying it's about 4x faster than 802.11a or g AND better range.

802.11g is enough to stream HDTV...

 

[ilkevinli]

I would have to disagree. The fastest ACTUAL throughput I have seen for 802.11g is about 30mbps. Thats the minimum for HD video.

802.11g is enough to stream HDTV...

 

[aristobrat]

802.11g is enough to stream HDTV...

Stream, barely. If nobody in else in the house is using WiFi for anything.
Fast eenough to buffer so that you can skip ahead? Nope.

 

[aswitcher]

another very practical use is if you have, say a core2duo iMac and a MacBook. you can hook up the iMac to ethernet and make it run as a base station. that way you don't have to buy a base station at all.

Sure, but its not really as good as a base station. Its not really a dedicated MIMO device with the power of a base station. It doesn't have the tricky software that allows you to see how wireless issues like a base station can.

 

[goosnarrggh]

What do you mean by "MacMini C2Ds (custom made)"?

"

Probably means that he/she bought the cheapest Core Solo Mac Mini she/he could get his/her hands on, then opened it up, took out the original chip, and popped in a Core 2 Duo chip in its place.

The thermal profile is similar enough, the pinouts are identical, the Mac Mini uses socketed (instead of soldered) CPUs, and chipsets capable of using the Yonah core also support Merom.

 

[sycho]

I would have to disagree. The fastest ACTUAL throughput I have seen for 802.11g is about 30mbps. Thats the minimum for HD video.

Right... I have never seen an HDTV clip at 30Mbps, usually 10-20Mbps.

 

[pwfletcher]

What program is that ?

Indigo

What do you mean by "MacMini C2Ds (custom made)"?

I popped out the CD processors and put in C2D processors so that they will play 1080P without dropping any frames and without getting too hot ... they work great!

... and I use iRed and IRTrans to control the Home Theater

 

[drcosmos]

802.11g is enough to stream HDTV...

So, why can´t I even stream mp3s or look at pictures at decent speed? Have tested draft N from Linksys and Broadcom G speed without success... There weren´t any issue with PCs with Windows XP or Linux installed. Could even stream HD movies with G speed. Any suggestion why the Apple Macbook Pro C2D would not work?

Cheers

 

[fustercluck]

Speak for yourself. Some of us do product research before buying. This site is really good for that.



Good point! Again, we shouldn't have to know or care how Apple works - this is the philosophy they espouse in their products. This pretty much blows a hole in the Sarbox argument. And adds credence for "if we can get $2 per driver, times half a million users, several times a year" argument.

I'm glad to see they're at least honestly calling it an Enabler. That is, the hardware was initially DIS-abled.

Thank you. I was the first to make this point and to question the whole "this is a firmware upgrade" nonsense and was cyber-assaulted for both.

 

[matticus008]

Speak for yourself. Some of us do product research before buying. This site is really good for that.

But the point remains that you can't make buying decisions based on rumor and speculation, and then later get upset when events take a different path. You were given access to product specifications and feature lists, and nothing else, not a thing, is guaranteed.

Good point! Again, we shouldn't have to know or care how Apple works - this is the philosophy they espouse in their products.

And you still don't have to. Nobody forced you to take an interest in the specifics or invited you to dismiss categorically the reasoning because you don't like it. You want simple? You got a b/g computer, and now you can have an 802.11n computer for $2. That's it.

This pretty much blows a hole in the Sarbox argument. And adds credence for "if we can get $2 per driver, times half a million users, several times a year" argument.

Based on what? How does a one-time fee, affecting a limited number of customers, at a nominal charge lend credence to anything? Where do you see a precedent being set? You can't set a trend on a single point.

I'm glad to see they're at least honestly calling it an Enabler. That is, the hardware was initially DIS-abled.

Actually, all it technically means is that it was previously not enabled. But yes, it wasn't available, because there were no drivers for it. What is your winning strategy for enabling hardware without a driver?

 

[maverick808]

If you have two Macs, both enabled to 802.11n, and create an ad hoc network between them or share a wired connection through the wireless card then you only get 802.11g speeds. Why? Both machines are 802.11n capable so why do they only use 802.11g?

I tried two iMacs, two MacBooks, a MBP to MacBook, MacBook to iMac, MBP, to iMac... all the machines are C2D and have been enabled to 802.11n. With every single combination the speeds are 802.11g, and Network Utility reports the link speed as 54Mbps

 

[aswitcher]

If you have two Macs, both enabled to 802.11n, and create an ad hoc network between them or share a wired connection through the wireless card then you only get 802.11g speeds. Why? Both machines are 802.11n capable so why do they only use 802.11g?

I tried two iMacs, two MacBooks, a MBP to MacBook, MacBook to iMac, MBP, to iMac... all the machines are C2D and have been enabled to 802.11n. With every single combination the speeds are 802.11g, and Network Utility reports the link speed as 54Mbps

That sounds very weird. You have a LOT of C2D Macs... My guess is either the N upgrade didnt work or more likely a setting isn't enabled.

 

[maverick808]

That sounds very weird. You have a LOT of C2D Macs... My guess is either the N upgrade didnt work or more likely a setting isn't enabled.

I work for a university computing science department so I have access to all types of Macs. I checked every setting I could find. All the machines report in Network Utility that they are 802.11a/b/g/n.

I really suspect that it simply isn't supported. Has anyone else at all managed to get 802.11n speeds with either ad hoc networks or with Internet sharing?

 

[aswitcher]

I work for a university computing science department so I have access to all types of Macs. I checked every setting I could find. All the machines report in Network Utility that they are 802.11a/b/g/n.

I really suspect that it simply isn't supported. Has anyone else at all managed to get 802.11n speeds with either ad hoc networks or with Internet sharing?

Maybe it requires one of the new airports with true MIMO to get that sort of speed.

 

[gerrycurl]

re: qcassidy

I can't believe all the negatives. Apple never advertised the N hardware. Nobody bought their C2D mac because it was, or might be, N compatible. So if you're happy with 802.11g, then use that. If you want the new standard, pay the TINY fee and be happy that you have the option. Stop whinning!!

i did biatch, i bought my macbook only because it had the n compatibility, otherwise i would have gotten a thinkpad. owned!

 

[xli_ne]

i did biatch, i bought my macbook only because it had the n compatibility, otherwise i would have gotten a thinkpad. owned!

I love newb comments

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

You must be joking because...

1. This site is about rumors and therefore publishes things that don't pan out to be true all the time.
2. Macrumors never stated that the 802.11n capability would be active on the new laptops or that a software enabler would be free of charge.

So you still and always were buying an 802.11g card in the laptop despite what you may have thought.

Wrong, Jacko, folks here had confirmed, under windows, that the c2d mbp had the 802.11n chip in it in the first couple weeks it was out. Contrary to what you might think, there are some very intelligent and knowledgeable folks who participate in the forums.

Thank you. I was the first to make this point and to question the whole "this is a firmware upgrade" nonsense and was cyber-assaulted for both.

The truth has set you free, my friend. Feel free to flame those who were insisting on the firmware excuse despite the card working in Windows.

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

But the point remains that you can't make buying decisions based on rumor and speculation, and then later get upset when events take a different path.

It wasn't rumor or speculation, it was a working -n card under Windows. That's called a fact, which is much different than rumor or speculation.

Perhaps, a counter-example would be helpful. Please describe any other piece of hardware in a Mac that is working, but at a purposely diminished level.

You were given access to product specifications and feature lists, and nothing else, not a thing, is guaranteed.

Sure, nothing is guaranteed in life. Apple has just never chosen to charge for a driver before. Ever. Nobody anticipated this change. Some people like Apple's new direction, some don't.

You got a b/g computer, and now you can have an 802.11n computer for $2. That's it.

Apple is now charging for improved hardware drivers. That changes its value model. Apple used to take care of its customers. That's it.

Based on what? How does a one-time fee, affecting a limited number of customers, at a nominal charge lend credence to anything? Where do you see a precedent being set? You can't set a trend on a single point.

Apple claimed this was due to a SarBox requirement due to booking revenue for already sold machines and adding new features after the sale date. It follows then that hardware sold today would not be subject to this requirement. But they're still charging $2 for -n as an add-on if you go and buy a new machine today. So they're either lying about the SarBox requirement or nickle-and-diming new buyers. One or both of these has to be true - there's no way around it. The WSJ seems to think it's both, and they're an Apple-friendly publication (Apple even references them in their ads).

Actually, all it technically means is that it was previously not enabled. But yes, it wasn't available, because there were no drivers for it. What is your winning strategy for enabling hardware without a driver?

You're confused about what a driver is. They don't enable hardware. They provide an interface for an operating system to access hardware resources. It's true, firmware updates can add features to a piece of hardware, but that's not what we're talking about here. The hardware resources were always there in this card (and all these machines came with a man page describing those features) but launch was delayed for Apple's marketing convenience to coincide with their MWSF product launches.