How to Install an Airport Extreme Wireless Card

Connect to the Internet with a wireless card.

The AirPort Extreme wireless card is an internally installed card used on Mac desktop computers, instantly allowing the system access to wireless signals. Although all new Mac desktop computers have a preinstalled AirPort Extreme wireless card, you may need to install such a device on an older system. The process does involve opening up the tower, but the installation only takes a few minutes to complete.

Things You'll Need

• Mac computer
• AirPort Extreme wireless card
• Phillips screwdriver
• 2 mounting screws

Instructions

1. Power down the Mac computer. Locate the latch on the lower side panel of the desktop computer. This unlocks the paneling of the Mac computer. Lift up on the latch and remove the panel to expose the interior of the computer.

2. Disconnect the hard drive (or two if two are installed) from the front of the computer. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the screws holding the drives in place, then slide the drives out of the way.

3. Locate the card slot directly behind where the hard drives were located. There is a black vertical card slot that can be used by the AirPort Extreme card.

4. Slide the card into the slot. Push down on the rear of the card and insert two mounting screws into the circular openings in each corner of the card. This secures the card to the inside of the Mac computer

5. Find the two WiFi antenna connections and the Bluetooth antenna lead located directly above the card. Attach the leads to the antenna posts of the card; these are the two mounting screws you installed in the previous step. The leads fit directly onto the screws, allowing for a secure connection.

6. Reattach the hard drives back into place, then close the computer case and power on the Mac system.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the power is disconnected before doing anything inside the computer case. Parts of the system may be powered even when the system is off. You could risk personal injury or damage to circuitry if the power is not disconnected.

• Static electricity can damage electronic parts. Ground yourself by touching a metal part of the computer chassis, or use an antistatic wrist strap, before touching the AirPort card or any other circuit board.

References

• Mean Dering Passage: How to Installing an AirPort Extreme Card on Mac Pro