MacBook Airport Card Replacement
I am not the kind of person who replaces their computer due to one or two outdated components.
Call me sappy but I am pretty loyal to my computers until I have totally outgrown them.
If you're like me know that just because you have an older computer doesn't mean you can't
take advantage of newer technology.
This MacBook shipped with an 802.11g Airport card, but that doesn't mean that it's stuck
with it for life.
Upgrading your Airport card is super easy and will probably only take you 15 minutes.
Hi, I'm mj with iFixit, and today I'm going to show you how to upgrade the airport card
in your MacBook.
This video is just an overview, so as I upgrade this MacBook, I’ll try and give you some
tips on the trickier parts.
You'll notice that it's actually pretty easy but still, you'll want to follow the step-by-step
instructions in the repair guide on our site.
The MacBook I’m working on is an original core duo model; if you're not sure which MacBook
you have head to the ID Your Mac page at iFixit.com because different MacBooks use different Airport
cards.
As far as tools are concerned, you won’t need much for this repair.
I've got a Phillips #00 screwdriver, (I’m using the
one from our 26 piece bit driver kit), a plastic spudger
a coin our replacement airport card of course.
and I’m also going to use a screw tray, which isn’t totally necessary, but there
ends up being a lot of screws and this helps keep them organized.
Now that I've got all of my parts and tools laid out, I can get started.
The first thing I’m going to use my coin to unlock the battery-locking screw, and then
the battery should come right out.
With all the screws loosened I can remove the memory
cover
And now I am going to take out several screws to get the top case off.
Make sure you're following the repair guide because you don't need to remove every screw
that's visible.
Only the ones that are indicated in the repair guide.
Now that I’ve got all of my screws removed and organized, I can flip over the computer
and start removing the top case.
I am going to start at the back of the computer and slowly work my way towards the front.
If you end up having trouble with the latches near the track pad you can kind of use your
spudger to go along the edge and gently rotate it and that will un-latch it.
Once you've gotten the last latch unlatched don't yank the top case off because their
is a ribbon cable attaching it to the logic board and you don't want to damage that.
So with that cable disconnected we can remove the top case and immediately we can see the
airport card.
There are only two screws and two cables keeping it attached to the logic board.
So I am going to use my spudger to disconnect the cables…
and my screwdriver to remove the two screws…
and with those out the Airport Card should slide right out.
All that’s left for me to do is install my new Airport Card and reassemble this MacBook,
and I’ve got wireless N without having to buy a new computer.
Of course, you can find the parts and tools you'll need for this and many other repairs
at iFixit.com.
And if you run into problems during your repairs, there are lots of solutions in the MacBook
repair guide on our site.
Thanks for watching, and happy repairing!