MP All Models WiFi 6 802.11ax on Mac Pro, what's the easiest most compatible way?

[ZombiePhysicist]

In the past with the 5,1 cMP, we could just swap out the Airport card for essentially a newer card, and everything automagically worked to upgrade our WiFi.

Is there a similar upgrade path available today? Particularly, I'm curious what WiFi 6 upgrades are available for the 7,1?

Thanks for any pointers!

 

[tsialex]

Apple never released a Intel Mac with 802.11ax, just M1 ones where the Wi-Fi and BT controller is on-board, so no new modules available.

All Intel Macs released after 2019 Mac Pro have the same Wi-Fi and BT specs as it.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

So to upgrade we will have to go either to some USB dongle, or some PCI card, I guess?

 

[superlativo]

I have the same question as the OP but 3 years later. Did anything change in 2025? Thanks in advance.

 

[tsialex]

I have the same question as the OP but 3 years later. Did anything change in 2025?

No more new Intel Macs that you can buy upgraded modules and install to old Mac Pros, Apple Silicon Wi-Fi controller is still integrated, so, obviously nothing changed.

If you are asking if you can upgrade a 2019 Mac Pro Wi-Fi to the one from 2023 Mac Pro, the answer is also no.

If you are asking if any Wi-Fi 6 & 7 PCIe cards can be used with a Mac Pro, then is maybe and with caveats.

There is a slow going open source project to make OpenBSD drivers for Intel Wi-Fi 6&7 cards to work with macOS. The project focus is hackintoshes and currently working cards, work at AC speeds at best and have issues with sleep, so probably won't help you.

GitHub - OpenIntelWireless/itlwm: Intel Wi-Fi Drivers for macOS

Intel Wi-Fi Drivers for macOS. Contribute to OpenIntelWireless/itlwm development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[reader50]

Easiest and most effective way is to fake it. Use a mesh router (WiFi 6, 6e, or 7) and run an ethernet cord from a node to your Mac. ie - use a WiFi router as an external WiFi adapter.

I did it with my MacPro 4,1 -> 5,1 using a 6e mesh pair. Was trying to get speeds above 1 Gb (my ASUS ET12s have 2.5 Gb ports + pairable 1 Gb ports).

The connection is fast and stable, but usually at 1 Gbps. I've gotten the higher speeds sometimes, but not consistently, and it usually falls back to gigabit for reasons I've yet to trace. Internal backhaul between the nodes shows as 3 Gbps most of the time, so that isn't the problem.

 

[haralds]

I simply hooked my CMpro 5,1 via ethernet to the Eero 7 mesh point in my study.