Mac Daniel's Advice

WiFi Hardware Compatible with Desktop Macs Running OS X

- 2009.03.11

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Older Macs may not have a slot for Apple's AirPort Card, and even if they do, you may want higher throughput than 802.11b WiFi offers - 802.11g will give you nearly five times the bandwidth. These WiFi adapters may also cost less than an AirPort Card, which tends to sell in the US$50-100 range nowadays.

This page covers USB, ethernet, PCI, and other WiFi hardware that is compatible with OS X Macs. Some of these devices are also compatible with the Classic Mac OS (see WiFi Adapters for Desktop Macs Running Mac OS 9 for a list that only includes adapters that work with Mac OS 9); all of them are reported to work with Mac OS X.

PCMCIA/PC Card WiFi adapters compatible with OS X notebooks are covered in WiFi PC Cards Compatible with PowerBooks Running OS X, and the more efficient CardBus adapters are covered in WiFi CardBus Adapters Compatible with PowerBooks.

This information is adapted from Mac OS Wireless Adapter Compatibility List by permission of the author, who gives a "nod to the linux-wlan.org Adapter List for doing the heavy lifting."

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

Recent Mac Daniel columns

• WiFi CardBus Adapters Compatible with PowerBooks, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. CardBus hardware and drivers compatible with PowerBooks running Mac OS X.
• WiFi PC Cards Compatible with PowerBooks Running OS X, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. PCMCIA/PC Card hardware and drivers compatible with PowerBooks running Mac OS X.
• WiFi PC Cards for PowerBooks Running Mac OS 9, MetaPhyzx, 03.10. PCMCIA cards and drivers reported to be compatible with PowerBook running the Classic Mac OS.
• WiFi Adapters for Desktop Macs Running Mac OS 9, MetaPhyzx, 03.10. USB, ethernet, PCI, and other wireless hardware compatible with desktop Macs running the Classic Mac OS.
• More in the Mac Daniel index.

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