Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple MA688Z/B Airport Extreme Wireless Upgrade Kit - network adapter

I installed this upgrade into my late 2009 Mac Pro 4 core machine.

First off, this item does not come with instructions, it is meant to be installed by an Apple service center. So I had to search the web to figure it out. Once I had the instructions, the installation was not too difficult, and can be accomplished by some one with some minor technical skills.

The range was not very good with my Mac Pro. I was less than 30 feet (and through one wall) to my wireless router, and yet, it dropped a lot of packets. After about two frustrating weeks, I went ahead and just moved the router, and now use a wired connection.

This is a must buy for Mac owners who do not have a WiFi adapter. Speed and reliability is very good. Instantly recognized buy most Mac computers.

This is the actual Apple upgrade kit and works great in my 2006 MBP core duo. The kit includes the software cd but NO installation instructions - check other site for videos on how to install. Don't install yourself unless you have some experience and the right tools. Solid connection with Linksys WRT 600N, not a single drop since install. This card operates at both 2.4 and 5 GHz (AGN) - sweet. If you are looking to upgrade your MBP, this is the card to get.

It's not too bad and I think it rates more than 1 star. You have to go to some other web pages to get installation instructions (just use Google) but they are relatively simple if you have replaced things in computers before. Do be careful I did cut my finger on the notbook case while I was doing installation. It took me less than an hour to install but have to read the web instructions carefully. I have done installations for years but I think someone with some knowledge of computer parts can do the replacement realtively issue. You might need one tool to get a small screw out and the web instructions will tell you which one (don't remember). The card does work and I have used it for many months but at least for my older Mac Pro the signal looks like one step weaker than my iMac which is newer and has 802.11n. However it is much more convenient than the 802.11N dongle I had previously.

So 3 stars since it does work but not more since it appears not to be as strong as the iMac reception but then again, I didn't compare performance of a Mac Pro with factory installation.

After looking for a wireless 802.11n upgrade solution for my 1st generation MacBook, I was excited to find the MA688Z/B Airport Extreme Wireless upgrade kit. As a mac geek and techie, it was easy to install and worked flawlessly on my home network in 802.11n mode with my new Airport Base Station. However, things changed when I went to the office at my university, which uses an 802.1x PEAP network. It had trouble logging in, and would consistently drop the connection. A 80% signal suddenly became less than 20%. I discovered that other MacBooks and Macbook Pros using this card have similar problems. I reinstalled my old card out of necessity.