MacBook Air owner installs EVDO internally
updated 07:50 pm EDT, Tue April 29, 2008
MacBook Air internal EVDO
One MacBook Air owner, Jordan Bunnell, has disassembled his prized ultraportable in order to install a stripped-down Verizon USB727 Aircard for dongle-less EVDO connectivity. Bunnell replaced the internal Airport card, located underneath the left-hand palm rest area, with the components inside the 727. To complete the operation, he also had to file away three screw mounts for the card to fit, as well as removing the USB connector to solder leads to the computer's USB port.
Bunnell also took the antenna connector port from a defective Airport card in order to boost signal strength, since replacing the bottom case would trap the wireless signal.
Once finished, Bunnell states that the modification yields speeds of around 1400 to 1700Kb per second, a slight speed decrease from around 2000Kb per second when the device was an external dongle. Uploads lowered slightly from 500Kb per second, to around 380Kb per second.
Users interested in this modification should be advised that opening up a non-consumer serviceable computer will void the warranty. Connecting additional devices to the MacBook Air's USB port could also inhibit usage of the dedicated USB Superdrive, due to its increased voltage requirements and proprietary nature of the Air's USB port.
voided warranty
04/29, 10:22pm (1 reply) reply
surely this voids your warranty?
Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
So..
04/29, 11:13pm reply
So.. Hes got no USB port any more, No Airport anymore. And no warranty anymore.But has EVDO, whatever that is..Not my idea of a mod, but each to their own huh..
Grrr
Grizzled Veteran
Joined: Jun 2001
re; voids warranty
04/30, 12:12am (1 reply) reply
"To complete the operation, he also had to file away three s**** mounts for the card to fit, as well as removing the USB connector to solder leads to the computer's USB port."Uh, yeah. In a big way...
mgpalma
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Joined: Sep 2000
So he broke his Air
04/30, 09:10am reply
So he broke his Air and voided his warranty. That's not very smart if you ask me.
horvatic
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Joined: Apr 2002
EVDO
04/30, 10:24am reply
it's for mobile internet access. Still, pretty stupid.
climacs
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Joined: Sep 2001
comment system suggestion
04/30, 10:26am reply
should be 'suggestions' but we are still limited to 25 chars max in a subject line...1) swap positions of the thumbs down and thumbs up. I am certain I gave thumbs down to a couple of comments when I meant thumbs up. We read from left to right, the thumbs up should be the 1st icon we see.2) is it possible to change a rating? My local paper's website's comments system allows you to change a rating. Here, once you've rated a comment, that's it you're done.
climacs
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Joined: Sep 2001
oh
04/30, 10:27am reply
and the new comments system no longer recognizes carriage returns. Let's see if HTML works test test test what about a backslash r \r
climacs
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Joined: Sep 2001
nope
04/30, 10:27am reply
no returns. Come on MacNN, we begged you for a new comments system but this one kinda sucks.
climacs
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Joined: Sep 2001
warranty
04/30, 01:19pm reply
Who cares about the warranty??? It's a mac! They have the best customer satisfaction rating out there!
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
I said I did this already
04/30, 02:36pm reply
how taking down my achievement? s**** you MacNN, You think this this monkey installed this first, I have clientele to prove it! haha
Guest
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Joined: Nov 1999