Hello - new member joined today - been fighting an issue with Airport/Runway/Wi-Fi and need some feedback

[Revor]

Hi folks - can use some help - I've ready just about *everything* I can find on this and still stumped. Gotta be a stupid oversight on my part I'm sure.

First: I have the Late 2005 G5 Quad 2.5Ghz - Model: PowerMac11,2 - Processor: PowerPC G5 (1.1)

So: I'm 99% certain I have the right card/module. Purchased off Ebay some years back and I did a bunch of research at that time to make sure I wasn't getting the wrong one.

I bought this G5 about......God......maybe 12 years ago now and wanted to have one, keep it running and hopefully someday maybe have a Gem that would possibly appreciate in price.

First time I tried to install the Airport card/module, a few years back, it only provided Bluetooth (no Wi-Fi) and it eventually ended up locking my system after a few restarts and I removed it thinking I got a fried card or module - gave up, turned it off, put it back in storage.

Today, I got the beast out and wanted to give it a fresh try to see if I could maybe make it work. Same thing, installed it, got only Bluetooth (Wi-Fi icon never shows up and when I go to Network config, Wi-Fi is not there nor can it be added) and after a few restarts - the system would lock up and mouse/keyboard would be frozen - it would boot to a desktop and appear fine, but couldn't use mouse or keyboard.

I realized that last time I tried all this (again about 3 years ago) I wiped the system and reloaded OSX - but only to 10.5.6

Today, I went a step further and installed the latest version - and it's now at 10.5.8 (the highest version these machines can reach, right?)

After updating to new version, I reinstalled the Airport/Module and now, the system is stable after quite few restarts and reboots - no freezing, or weirdness - but STILL: no Wi-Fi. I am able to connect a Bluetooth device to the G5, no problem.

QUESTION: has anyone ever seen the Airport module, with this machine, provide Bluetooth but NOT also provide Wi-Fi?

Is it possible I have the wrong card/module?

Also: when I go to System Profiler > Network > Airport Card, it shows "no information found".

When I go to Hardware > Bluetooth, there is a page of technical stuff listed - as expected, cause Bluetooth is working.

Any help, GREATLY appreciated.

Shawn.

 

[eyoungren]

What module did you buy? Pics of what is installed or the auction item would be helpful.

 

[Revor]

Hello! Thanks for the quick response. Here is a pic of the card and the module attached to it.

I can take other pix if this one does not show what's needed to identify it.

Thanks - Shawn.
[automerge]1595179816[/automerge]
and the flip side:

 

[eyoungren]

Hello! Thanks for the quick response. Here is a pic of the card and the module attached to it.View attachment 935330

I can take other pix if this one does not show what's needed to identify it.

Thanks - Shawn.
[automerge]1595179816[/automerge]
and the flip side:View attachment 935331

That looks like the right card. Here's mine:



So, I would say that the Airport part is defective or not working. Maybe someone else has something to add.

 

[Revor]

Yeah, mine appears to be the same as yours. Thanks for checking/confirming and the feedback.

Of interest maybe: I found that I had 2 of the modules - the piggyback piece that plugs and screws into the daughterboard (do we call this the "Runway board/card" or what?) - I did the whole procedure over again, with the other module and I get neither BT nor Wifi. So, clearly that module is DEAD-dead. The 2nd, I put back in and did NVPRAM and System reset - still no Wifi - but BT is working.

So, based on this, I'm looking at Ebay and seeing 50 or more of these modules out there for under $20, some as little as $12 shipped. So, I'm going to get another, roll the dice and see what the next one does (or does not do).

I also have to consider I guess that the Runway daughter board/card might have an issue or quite possibly the MB slot itself might also be the culprit.

If anyone has any further tips/tricks/troubleshooting that I can try, please post - thanks. Shawn.

 

[eyoungren]

Yeah, mine appears to be the same as yours. Thanks for checking/confirming and the feedback.

Of interest maybe: I found that I had 2 of the modules - the piggyback piece that plugs and screws into the daughterboard (do we call this the "Runway board/card" or what?) - I did the whole procedure over again, with the other module and I get neither BT nor Wifi. So, clearly that module is DEAD-dead. The 2nd, I put back in and did NVPRAM and System reset - still no Wifi - but BT is working.

So, based on this, I'm looking at Ebay and seeing 50 or more of these modules out there for under $20, some as little as $12 shipped. So, I'm going to get another, roll the dice and see what the next one does (or does not do).

I also have to consider I guess that the Runway daughter board/card might have an issue or quite possibly the MB slot itself might also be the culprit.

If anyone has any further tips/tricks/troubleshooting that I can try, please post - thanks. Shawn.

The blue board is actually the Runway card. The module that fits on it is the actual Airport/BT module. But without the Runway Card, the module doesn't work. So, if you can find just another module then you can test.

It may also be that the Runway card is itself bad.

You might try cleaning the contacts and see if that helps or not. I don't have a lot of ideas at this point.

 

[davisdelo]

If your runway card ends up being the issue then there is another option available. You can plug a standard "full-size" Airport Extreme card directly into the slot. This will obviously not give you any Bluetooth though. You would also need to connect your own antenna to the AE card as the built in antenna in the late '05 will not fit into the card. Other than those two caveats it works great.

 

[Revor]

Thanks for the helpful info. Interestingly, Ebay has zero Runway cards listed as of last night when I checked. I see a couple for sale at the typical Mac parts storefronts - for like $50 - $80 bucks.

I'll try 1 more module and then have to assume it's the Runway card or the MB slot itself.

Does anyone have a source for the Runway card? Or: does anyone have a spare Runway card you'd like to part with?

Thanks again. Shawn.

 

[weckart]

If you do a search on this forum you will see that Runway cards are EXTREMELY hard to get hold of and that $50-$100 is the going rate on the rare occasions when one turns up for sale. I would consider a PCIe card for a wireless solution since it opens up your Quad to 802.11n speeds if Leopard is your primary OS but if BT on boot is important for you because you want to use a BT keyboard and mouse, then you will have to be very patient and expect to empty your wallet to get another RW card.

 

[Revor]

Yep, thanks for the comment - agree. BT is not terribly important to me actually. So, the connectivity speeds using the Runway/Airport solution are slower in comparison to the PCIe solution? I have to confess to a lack of knowledge when it comes to Network/Wi-Fi stuff.

 

[weckart]

802.11g = 54Mb/s max throughput

802.11n = 300Mb/s max throughput.

It depends upon your needs. The cheapest solution is to get a generic Mini-PCie to PCIe adapter card with at least two aerials and pick up a 2006-era Apple Broadcom WiFi card. Will work under Leopard but it is a real faff to get working under Tiger and a bit flaky. If you need Tiger or earlier, stick to 802.11g.