iBook G4/Airport Problem

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BDub's picture
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Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 703
iBook G4/Airport Problem

Hi -

I finally went and dropped the cash to get an AE card for my iBook G4. It just didn't feel right being the only guy in the office without wireless. Anyhow, I installed the card (about a week ago), and wasn't sure how good reception was supposed to be, but I knew mine sucked. And that's a generous description. 20 feet and one wall away makes it go dead, though all of the other Airport cards in the office have no problem. I also saw my results against a friends results when we let MacStumbler run on our laptops and drove around for a while. It's safe to say that I'm getting really bad signal strength.

A friend of mine got a new iBook the other day, so we swapped cards for a minute, and mine works fine in his, his gives the same performance in mine. Not the card then.

I've reset all my network prefs and zapped my PRAM, so I'm reasonably sure it's a hardware problem. I then took it into my local London Drugs where I bought it and asked. They said $35 (not a lot) and it might take a week to check it out, busy time of year apparently.

The catch is, that I'm rather attached to my iBook (Got Woz to sign it) and I can't really be without a computer for a week if I'm not sure that it's the only way. I suspect that the connector going into the screen might be bent, but I'm open to other suggestions.

How should I go about figuring out the issue and fixing it? Tips and links would be gratefully accepted.

Thanks.

-BDub

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Last seen: 19 years 4 days ago
Joined: Oct 4 2004 - 23:26
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Antenna damage?

The only thing I can think of is a problem with the iBook's internal antenna. Unless it's just not plugged in correctly, you'll probably need to take it to a retailer for repair. iBooks are generally pretty nasty to pull apart, and for such a recent machine, you'd do better having a technician fix it.

BDub's picture
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Last seen: 2 years 3 weeks ago
Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 703
Re: Antenna damage?

The only thing I can think of is a problem with the iBook's internal antenna. Unless it's just not plugged in correctly, you'll probably need to take it to a retailer for repair. iBooks are generally pretty nasty to pull apart, and for such a recent machine, you'd do better having a technician fix it.

Yeah, did a complete backup/reinstall last night, hoping it was a software issue. I've heard some problems with 10.3 installs and Airport, but a fresh install would have fixed that. No luck. I've poked it in every way possible without voiding my Applecare, so I'm thinking I'll take it in tomorrow morning.

Thanks.

-BDub

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