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RTL8187SE in powermac G5 - drivers partially work, but no wi-fi networks found.

P

powermacenjoyer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 3, 2022
8
1
I found universal drivers (version 1.6.2) for this mini pci-e network card, put it in mini-pcie to pcie converter and put it in my powermac.

The card gets recognized and in the system information, it's labeled as having drivers installed. The kext also appears in the Extensions tab.

The realtek setup utility loads and detects MAC of the card (that also appears in dmesg), but it never finds a wifi network even if i try my phone hotspot next to it. Any idea how to solve it? I already tried taping over PIN 20, however it did nothing. I am using the original g5's airport antenna mounted above fans. I had to remove the motherboard to unroute the cable and get it to the pci-e bay.
 
Might be how your network is configured, I have had hit-and-miss luck with older B/G networking with modern equipment. See if there's any legacy options on your router.

People have had success with a Netgear WNA1000M (Wireless N USB), failing that, you could just get an ethernet to wifi bridge and be done with it, no drivers needed. This is my go-to for older computers that I can't get my cables to. (https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Ethernet-2-WiFi-Universal-Wireless-GWU637/dp/B018YPWORE/)
 
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ifrit05 said:
Might be how your network is configured, I have had hit-and-miss luck with older B/G networking with modern equipment. See if there's any legacy options on your router.

People have had success with a Netgear WNA1000M (Wireless N USB), failing that, you could just get an ethernet to wifi bridge and be done with it, no drivers needed. This is my go-to for older computers that I can't get my cables to. (https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Ethernet-2-WiFi-Universal-Wireless-GWU637/dp/B018YPWORE/)
Click to expand...
Thank you for help, but i actually ripped the card from old msi all-in-one oc i tried to hackintosh and failed on getting the gma 950 to work. However the wi-fi card did work on intel with the same 1.6.2 drivers.

Perhaps it might just be broken on powerpc despite the fact, that both kext (as i wrote, i can clearly see the kext loaded and reporting MAC address of the wi-fi card in dmesg) and the management app is ppc compatible?
 
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powermacenjoyer said:
Thank you for help, but i actually ripped the card from old msi all-in-one oc i tried to hackintosh and failed on getting the gma 950 to work. However the wi-fi card did work on intel with the same 1.6.2 drivers.

Perhaps it might just be broken on powerpc despite the fact, that both kext (as i wrote, i can clearly see the kext loaded and reporting MAC address of the wi-fi card in dmesg) and the management app is ppc compatible?
Click to expand...
Just curious…but the last time I used a WiFi adapter that required the Realtek drivers, I had to open System Preferences and let it find a new adapter. Once I did that I was able to set the options, enable it and use the connection utility.

Have you done that?
 
eyoungren said:
Just curious…but the last time I used a WiFi adapter that required the Realtek drivers, I had to open System Preferences and let it find a new adapter. Once I did that I was able to set the options, enable it and use the connection utility.

Have you done that?
Click to expand...
Yep, the app itself warned me of that. I went into settings, pressed the + button to add new internet connection, selected the newly added adapter and the warning disappeared.
 
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DearthnVader said:
Did you try to enable "Maximize Compatibility"?
Click to expand...
I selected 2.4GHz mode. Also it's connected to the powermac g5's integrated wifi antenna. When it was connected to the two small antennas in the aio pc, i could catch at least two access points. Insufficient antennas are not a problem
 
powermacenjoyer said:
I selected 2.4GHz mode. Also it's connected to the powermac g5's integrated wifi antenna. When it was connected to the two small antennas in the aio pc, i could catch at least two access points. Insufficient antennas are not a problem
Click to expand...
On the iPhone you selected Maximize Compatibility?

This works with at least G and N mode, so if the iPhone hotspot still doesn't show up as an access point, something is wrong with the adapter/drivers or antenna.

Some newer routers have to be configured to allow access from G/N devices, so that maybe your issue. Using the iPhone Maximize Compatibility mode is a way to see.
 
DearthnVader said:
On the iPhone you selected Maximize Compatibility?

This works with at least G and N mode, so if the iPhone hotspot still doesn't show up as an access point, something is wrong with the adapter/drivers or antenna.

Some newer routers have to be configured to allow access from G/N devices, so that maybe your issue. Using the iPhone Maximize Compatibility mode is a way to see.
Click to expand...
I don't have iphone and i said the wifi card was able to find and connect to wifi networks on intel hackintosh
 
ifrit05 said:
Might be how your network is configured, I have had hit-and-miss luck with older B/G networking with modern equipment. See if there's any legacy options on your router.

People have had success with a Netgear WNA1000M (Wireless N USB), failing that, you could just get an ethernet to wifi bridge and be done with it, no drivers needed. This is my go-to for older computers that I can't get my cables to. (https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Ethernet-2-WiFi-Universal-Wireless-GWU637/dp/B018YPWORE/)
Click to expand...
Yeah i got multiple old ddwrt routers from ewaste i configured for this purpose
 
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