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Mac Pro Airpot and Bluetooth
- Thread starter joshwest
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Got mine from the apple store. They say they won't sell to you but you can talk them into it.
You must have a silver tongue because I talked with two apple stores (even went to one) and they absolutely refused to sell me the module(s) unless I brought in my Mac Pro. I reminded them that the Mac Pro is not the easiest machine to lug around, being ~70lbs, but they just said no, it will void my warantee and they legally cannot sell it to me without installing it themselves.
I told them I had no problems with that, that I would sign a waiver. All I needed was the modules. They once again said no, and even better the guy had a mightier-than-thou attitude the whole time, then stood by the door to make sure that I didn't get my modules when I talked with another rep.
well i just bought one off eBay last night for 25 the blue tooth, now i just need the airport card and they havnt made one so the MacPro Can Support N Networks Correct?
No. The airport extreme card that goes on the Mac Pro is a a/b/g/n card.
Do a search next time. There are a few threads about this.
Link to thread.
Thanks for the update wasnt sure if they put N in it yet, The only way to get on eis through a reseller? I just picked up a 2.66 stock for 2190 shipped i thought was a good deal
The N's always been there, as far as i can remember. There wasn't a airport extreme card for the Mac Pro that didn't have the N (someone correct me if i am wrong).
You can get one from Ebay but they are at exorbitant prices. Just get one from the reseller for $49. It's not that expensive.
Yep. They said no first but then I said someone said I could when I called. Works every time. Crappy part is I just sold my quad with the wifi and bluetooth and just bought the 8 core now I have to do it all over again.
Is it possible to go to an Apple Store and get a Mac Pro with airport-extreme built-in?
I was told by Apple (phone) that I need to order it online to get it customized.
I just want to get the Mac Pro asap.
EDIT-I just talked to my nearby Apple Store, they can put in the Airport Extreme for me, I have to wait a couple of days for it to be in stock.
I was told by Apple (phone) that I need to order it online to get it customized.
I just want to get the Mac Pro asap.
EDIT-I just talked to my nearby Apple Store, they can put in the Airport Extreme for me, I have to wait a couple of days for it to be in stock.
Ok, did it again. Just called my apple store a few hrs ago and asked if I could buy them. They said no problem. Went down there and picked them up. Got 2 airport cards for mac pro and 1 bluetooth card. Just installed them.
Piece of cake!
Piece of cake!
macenforcer - I've read a number of threads regarding mislabeled BT wires in the Mac Pro, wires hard to pull out from behind the motherboard, tricky connectors and a few other issues that can make the install a bit dodgy. Would you share a bit more about your install experience? I just purchased the Mac Pro Airport and BT cards and want as smooth an install as possible!!
Thanks.
I installed the BT and Airport modules myself. Here's the trick:
Cable #1: Connect it to your BT module. Press the end of the cable onto the corresponding spot on the module until you hear a 'click' sound. You're gonna need to press on the two with quite a bit of force (use your judgement). It's NOT one of those press and snap kind of things, its a bit more force than that. When that's connected, put the screw into place. A lot of people have used magnetic screw drivers so in case they drop the screw, its easier to pick up. I decided to use a regular screw driver and was careful enough that it didn't drop.
Cables #2 and #3: Connect to the AP module. Do a search on the forums for where the cables go to the card as there are 2 spots on the card. If you installed the BT successfully, you should have no problem with the AP.
If i remember correctly, both cards attach to the motherboard via a spring loaded slot (i know for sure the AP works that way, cant remember bout the BT). Shouldn't make things any difficult though.
Oh, keep the plastic covers for the antenna cables just in case you need them next time.
Remember to ground yourself before you work on the computer. Be careful too, take extra precaution towards grounding the machine, grounding yourself, etc. And keep a towel nearby cos you're gonna sweat.
Good luck.
ironic23 - thanks for that detailed response. Any comments about pulling the wires out from under the motherboard or was that a non issue?
They were hidden behind the HD Bay 2 tray if i remember correctly. It wasn't hidden BEHIND the motherboard in my case. Shouldn't be an issue. Just dont pull too hard if it wont come out.
Again, use your judgement. Cheers.
ironic23, that is exactly what I did. The wires are bunched together slightly behind the mboard. Just look carefully. They are not hard to grab once you find them. Still don't understand what the BT wire does.
Oh, and the other mac pro airport card went into my intel mini. Piece of cake. Just open it up and remove the old card and replace it. Airport N when reboot if you install the enabler prior to install. NICE!
Mislabeled BT wire.
I took in my Mac Pro to the Apple store for the Airport Express Card (Actually for airport extreme but for some stupid reason they call it airport express).
When I got my machine back home and hooked up I noticed my cursor was choppy and sometimes didn't move at all with my mighty mouse. I read through a couple of threads and found out that some of the Mac Pros had mislabeled BT wires.
Seeing that there is also a blank wire (no label) I changed the wire attached to the airport card. Lo and Behold! My mouse worked again and my airport signal is awesome!
Like others have said: I wouldn't recommend opening up your machine unless you're confident you can work with it without breaking it. Just keep in mind that BT wire label may be a problem on some machines. I believe it was a problem on machines sold towards the last half of last year.
I took in my Mac Pro to the Apple store for the Airport Express Card (Actually for airport extreme but for some stupid reason they call it airport express).
When I got my machine back home and hooked up I noticed my cursor was choppy and sometimes didn't move at all with my mighty mouse. I read through a couple of threads and found out that some of the Mac Pros had mislabeled BT wires.
Seeing that there is also a blank wire (no label) I changed the wire attached to the airport card. Lo and Behold! My mouse worked again and my airport signal is awesome!
Like others have said: I wouldn't recommend opening up your machine unless you're confident you can work with it without breaking it. Just keep in mind that BT wire label may be a problem on some machines. I believe it was a problem on machines sold towards the last half of last year.
UPDATE - installation Complete - great reception
My only "learning" was that you should screw the modules in first (2 screws each) and THEN snap the connectors onto them. Removing the wires was a non-issue - Phillips 00 screwdriver is the size I used - no problems.
Also - I just got my Mac Pro through Amazon and it did NOT have 4 wires - only 3 - everything was pretty self-explanatory once you get in there.
Thanks for the responses!!!
My only "learning" was that you should screw the modules in first (2 screws each) and THEN snap the connectors onto them. Removing the wires was a non-issue - Phillips 00 screwdriver is the size I used - no problems.
Also - I just got my Mac Pro through Amazon and it did NOT have 4 wires - only 3 - everything was pretty self-explanatory once you get in there.
Thanks for the responses!!!