MacBook Pro Wireless Issues

[PDXoPDX]

Hey, I have a MBP (1st ed. January 2006) and have been having major wireless connectivity problems for months. Today it seems the airport card in my unit may have finally bitten the dust.

Symptoms: Wireless signals are incredibly weak. It cycles between 0-3 bars no matter how close I am to the base station. Right now it says: no wireless networks and continually searches. Throughout the day I connect to multiple networks at home/school so I can pretty much rule out hardware issues related to the base stations themselves. This morning I had IT come down to check the signal strength with a detector and another laptop and we concluded that MY machine it the problem...nobody else is having these issues and the signal is near 100% on an identical unit sitting next to my laptop

I now have to use a network cable to use the internet reliably.

Does anyone have any experience with getting Apple to replace their internal airport express? Is it a good idea to try and do it myself? I've seen guides online but am afraid of voiding any warranty by opening the case.

System: MBP 2.0 GHz, OSX 10.5 (all updates downloaded and installed)

 

[rychencop]

did you purchase apple care? if so they will fix it, if not then there is no warranty to void, so do it yourself if you're comfortable doing so. i might still contact apple about it and at least see what they say. it's a shame something like that goes belly up after 2.5 years.

 

[PDXoPDX]

No apple care. I didn't think I'd need it given Apple's great record, but I was wrong about that. I've already had to deal with a warped battery, smoking MagSafe, and pitted case.

I'll check into a DIY replacement.

 

[rychencop]

No apple care. I didn't think I'd need it given Apple's great record, but I was wrong about that. I've already had to deal with a warped battery, smoking MagSafe, and pitted case.

I'll check into a DIY replacement.

wow! i have a few days left to purchase apple care, i might need to do that.

 

[PDXoPDX]

To provide closure: DIY options run around $75-100, Apple wants $80 to diagnose + $150 to fix it, and a USB WiFi adapter is $30 at Best Buy.

One more jankity fix for my jankity laptop...I'll save the rest of the $ to put toward a new laptop.

 

[rychencop]

i never did purchase applecare and of course 2 weeks later my battery decided to crap out. damn you apple!!