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PLEASE HELP: Need a Wifi Card for 2005 iMac G5

g00dbye

g00dbye

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
66
0
Raleigh/Boone, NC
Hey all. So, I move into my new place next week and find that the only source of internet will have to be through a wireless router. So now I am need of a Airport card. I have a 2005 iMac G5 (the generation right before the built-in iSight). I know that I need a Airport Extreme Card and an antenna, but I was wondering if somebody could fill me in on the exact part numbers I need for iMac. I've seen lots of different airport cards and do not want to buy the wrong one. If anyone can help me, that would be great. Thanks!
 
g00dbye said:
Hey all. So, I move into my new place next week and find that the only source of internet will have to be through a wireless router. So now I am need of a Airport card. I have a 2005 iMac G5 (the generation right before the built-in iSight). I know that I need a Airport Extreme Card and an antenna, but I was wondering if somebody could fill me in on the exact part numbers I need for iMac. I've seen lots of different airport cards and do not want to buy the wrong one. If anyone can help me, that would be great. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hmm... Are you sure there isn't one already included? Cause according to LowEndMac it already has 802.11g
 
Get A Pigtail And Small Directional Antenna

Sure,

There's probably no internal, omnidirectional one in your iMac.

So, an external would be better anyway. And a small, directional panel would be better still, for wireless Internet reception.

You'll want a cheap pigtail from the card to the antenna cable. Common antenna connection is usually with an RP-SMA female, and I believe the Extreme card may be a U.FL male/IPEX, like my 2009 Mini (I don't think they were still using MC-Card connectors, like my G4/PPC Mini).*Either way, pigtails are easy. Antenna connectors are kind of counter-intuitive, though, in their gender naming, so look closely at the fitting pics themselves.

Here's what a pigtail will look like, and which you can find on eBay for your application:

http://tiny.cc/3xXda

You could mount the fitting in a fixed manner by drilling a hole somewhere discrete, or just let it dangle out a vent hole somewhere in the back, I suppose.

Here's a modest, external, directional panel antenna I use for wireless Internet reception at 2.6 GHz, which puts the former internal, omnidirectional antenna in Mac Minis to shame. You can find this same antenna on eBay cheaper, but MacWireless is still a good source, and their antenna comes with a 3 foot cable, so only it and a pigtail is needed:

http://www.macwireless.com/html/products/antennas_boosters/unis.php

MacWireless has the pigtail, too, (8in (20cm) IPEX (U.FL) to RP-SMA Female - $ 19.98), but they don't have it pictured with the others:

http://www.macwireless.com/html/products/antennas_boosters/accessories/cables_accessories.php

So, with those two items you would have far better wireless Internet reception than with an internal, low-gain, omnidirectional one.

And, you can alway get a cheap, external omnidirectional antenna for later use on little networks, too.

Of course, you could skip the internal Apple WiFI card route altogether, and go the USB wireless card and antenna route. It may be a little cheaper, but somewhat inelegant.

Please let us all hear how it goes.

Peace to you,
C. Livingstone
 
g00dbye said:
Alright great. Now does anybody know if I also have to buy an external antenna for this AirPort Extreme Card?
Click to expand...

You shouldn't need to buy one, when i worked with the iBooks that had the Airport extreme cards they already had an antenna built-in. The airport extreme card had a plug at the top where a cable near the airport extreme slot plugged into. I would assume this would be the same with the iMac.
 
The early G5 iMacs that were not ordered with Airport still have the antenna and the card mount installed. The antenna plug even has a resting spot so that it isn't flopping around inside.
 
Sure,

The USB WiFi cards reportedly work great. But you install non-Apple drivers for them, and leave the OS Airport off.

I would suggest that you spend a little more and get one that has the ability to put both a directional antenna or an omnidirectional antenna on the USB Wifi dongle. That Rokland one doesn't even mention its gain in dBi, because its undoubtedly very low.

See here:

http://tiny.cc/245dt

Or, here:

http://tiny.cc/3dlKm

An economical panel/directional antenna (outdoor ones can be used indoors, too) with an intrinsic gain of around 10 dBi will pick up wireless Internet far better than an omnidirectional antenna with a gain of 2 or 3 dBi. I would not put a cheap booster inline, either. You won't need it with a good directional antenna.

I forgot to ask if the wireless router is located in your own home or is located with a neighbor? Either way, a good directional antenna is always better when receiving wireless Internet.

Peace to you,
C. Livingstone
 
You know,

I took a look at some of the products on that Rokland website, and it says, at least on some of those products, that the drivers for Leopard are not yet available, (just Panther, and Tiger).

So, I would pay close attention to which Mac drivers are available for the USB WiFi product you might purchase.

Peace to you,
C. Livingstone
 
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