Troubles with Realtek Wi-Fi USB adapter (RTL8188ETV) on a 15" iMac G4

[Oblak]

Hello,

I recently acquired an old 15" iMac G4 (800 Mhz, running 10.4.11), and I'm trying to get this Wi-Fi USB adapter I bought off Aliexpress working on it. It has a Realtek RTL8188 chip inside and came with a CD with drivers for OS X 10.4. I'm new to the Mac world, so I thought I'd just install the drivers and be done with it, but man was I wrong. So, I installed the drivers, restarted the iMac and tried to launch Wireless Network Utility, like the manual displayed during the installation process suggested, only it crashed immediately upon launch. Every time I start the app, it appears in the dock for a second and then just closes. Also, the blue LED indicator on the USB dongle itself does not light up when I plug it in, but it is listed in System Profiler as "802.11n NIC" (see screenshot below). I did some digging around and found this thread over at InsanelyMac where somebody posted "universal drivers" for Realtek 802.11n/ac adapters, but all the links are dead (of course). PMed some of the posters in the thread but nada.

Anyway, I thought I'd try with a different version of the same drivers, which are apparently used by the ASUS USB N-10 The drivers on my CD were "Wlan_11n_USB_MacOS10.4_Driver_UI_2.0.1", while the ones I downloaded from DriversCollection for the ASUS stick seem to be older, since the package is called "Wlan_11n_USB_MacOS10.4_Driver_1079_UI_1.8.8." Either way, both version yielded the same result – Wireless Network Utility crashes upon launch. I can provide the drivers, if needed.

Also, first time Mac user here.






P.S. Sorry I'm uploading a photo of System Profiler, instead of a proper screenshot.

 

[128keaton]

Can you open the Console.app and see if there is any clue to the crashing? Search by process and upload the result. Also, it might be worth buying the actual AirPort card for your iMac, its pretty easy to install, and not too pricy either: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WiFi-Card-8...734892?hash=item3ce50ae7ac:g:a7kAAOSwzaJX6biq. The only downside is not having to ability to connect to WPA2 networks, however, the Edimax EW-7811 is a good USB dongle, but it wont have native connection support: http://www.edimax.us/html/english/frames/b-download.htm. Still a good price for both!

 

[mddguy]

I had a very similar one. I believe the one that ships with these devices crashes. I have posted an alternative build of it on here if you want to give it a try! Clicky

This works with my iMac G4's, MDD and iMac G3's without crashing.

 

[128keaton]

I had a very similar one. I believe the one that ships with these devices crashes. I have posted an alternative build of it on here if you want to give it a try! Clicky

This works with my iMac G4's, MDD and iMac G3's without crashing.

Can we redistribute the build (with credit to you, of course) online? Thanks!

 

[Oblak]

I had a very similar one. I believe the one that ships with these devices crashes. I have posted an alternative build of it on here if you want to give it a try! Clicky

This works with my iMac G4's, MDD and iMac G3's without crashing.

Hi, thanks for the reply! I was really looking forward to trying your build, but unfortunately I get a "site can't be reached" error every time I click "Download", and I've tried numerous times with different browsers. Could you perhaps upload somewhere else? Would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: Just tried downloading something else off Mediafire, worked fine and didn't have an ad opening in a new tab either.

Can you open the Console.app and see if there is any clue to the crashing? Search by process and upload the result. Also, it might be worth buying the actual AirPort card for your iMac, its pretty easy to install, and not too pricy either: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WiFi-Card-8...734892?hash=item3ce50ae7ac:g:a7kAAOSwzaJX6biq. The only downside is not having to ability to connect to WPA2 networks, however, the Edimax EW-7811 is a good USB dongle, but it wont have native connection support: http://www.edimax.us/html/english/frames/b-download.htm. Still a good price for both!

Thanks for the suggestion! Not being able to use WPA2 was my main reason to opt for a USB adapter, but I may look into it if I fail to get it working. Unfortunately, that would mean another month of waiting for the AirPort card to arrive from the states hah. Also, what does "no native connection" mean? Sorry for the noobish question.

 

[mddguy]

Hi, thanks for the reply! I was really looking forward to trying your build, but unfortunately I get a "site can't be reached" error every time I click "Download", and I've tried numerous times with different browsers. Could you perhaps upload somewhere else? Would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: Just tried downloading something else off Mediafire, worked fine and didn't have an ad opening in a new tab either.

Not sure why that is. I had some issues with it to, but managed to download then re-upload to Dropbox for you. Hope it helps you! Clicky 2
[doublepost=1476692632][/doublepost]

Can we redistribute the build (with credit to you, of course) online? Thanks!

Yeah, either link them to this page on MacRumors or the link on my website. That's assuming it works for everyone else and not just me! I also uploaded to the website a version for 10.5 Leopard which again, doesn't exhibit the crashing. It's brilliant because it means I can pick up any £2 USB wifi with WPA2 for my old Macs. Website

 

[Oblak]

Not sure why that is. I had some issues with it to, but managed to download then re-upload to Dropbox for you. Hope it helps you! Clicky 2

Thanks a bunch, man! I wasn't expecting this to work, but I'm writing this reply from my G4 haha! I started a similar thread over at osx86.net, and I'll make sure to post a link to your website there, in case anyone's having similar problems. Thanks again!