Howto use IEEE 802.11a with Mac OS X

PPC-based Macs

The airport extreme chipset comming with the PPC-based Macs is not able to connect to 5GHz. Therefor you habe to use a externel PC-Card witch is 802.11a capable and where you can find a Mac Driver.

• Cisco CB20A
• Cisco CB21AG seems to have no nativ driver, but the CB20A-driver says:

"Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Cardbus Wireless LAN Client Adapter (CB21AG), Release 3.0.1, PCMCIA, LMC, PCI 802.11b Client Adapter Driver and Utilities for Mac OS 9.X and Mac OS X (up to 10.2). 5 GHz Cardbus 20A 802.11a for Mac OS 9.X and Mac OS X (10.2 and later). Firmware 5.30.17 or earlier."

• a Card with Atheros Chipset with OrangeWare driver (Problems with Tiger)
• a Card with Atheros Chipset and the original Apple driver from the Intel Mac OS X

Try to adopt the original, universal Atheros driver from an Intel MAc OS X installation

1. Some helpfull links
   • http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?showtopic=8522&pid=54433&mode=threaded&show=&st=&;
   • http://www.seattlewireless.net/MacOS#head-6771ce386ecf4553347927c2a72eb22ea60eeac6
   • http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?showtopic=11856&pid=82867&mode=threaded&show=&st=&;
   • http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?s=dcf6fb42e1d8842cedae7333eb8b715d&showtopic=22942&pid=153570&st=0&#entry153570
   • http://pastebin.ca/57910
2. copy the /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext from an Intel Mac to a PPC Mac (tar cvfzp /tmp/bla.tgz /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext)
3. I have also copied some 80211* header files, but they seem not nessessary
4. Insert your Card in the PPC Mac an boot
5. use ioreg to exact the string that you card uses (ioreg -bl and search for Atheros)
6. vendor-id ist the first number and device-id the second
7. change to root (su - admin; sudo tcsh)
8. patch /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortAtheros5424.kext/Contents/Info.plist for your card

                        <key>IONameMatch</key>
                        <array>
                                <string>pci106b,0086</string>
                                <string>pci168c,1c</string>
                        </array>

1. add your string in the array
   • in my case <string>pci168c,001b</string> for a 3Com 11a/b/g Card (3CRPAG175B)
2. reboot
3. kextload -i /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext
4. Ok - driver is loaded and the generic PC-Card Symbol does not appear in the menue, but the Card does not appear in the System Preferences or the menue
5. Any ideas wellcome

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist

Intel-based Macs

Allthrough Apple did not make any advertisement, the Intel-based Macs are 802.11a ready.

{ WirelessLAN | IeEE80211a }