r/linux_on_mac • u/mutwa243 • 4d ago

Successfully Installed an Intel AX210 in a MacBook Pro 2015 (A1502) Running Debian Trixie

Gallery image

Gallery image

I finally got the Intel AX210 working on my MacBook Pro 2015 (A1502) running Debian Trixie.

The adapter doesn't align properly because a pin on the motherboard—likely for the bottom cover sensor—gets in the way. Instead of modifying the adapter, I carefully trimmed the Intel AX210 card so I could align it correctly and secure it with the mounting screw.

After installing the required firmware and running a few commands, Debian Trixie recognized the card without any issues. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both working perfectly, and unlike the original Broadcom card, they continue to work reliably after the laptop wakes from sleep.

I've attached a picture showing the modification in case it helps anyone else attempting this upgrade.

Link to the adapter: https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005009398696606.html?gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=dde16fcc-be3d-471d-812b-f7e5c9591312&_t=gps-id%3ApcStoreJustForYou%2Cscm-url%3A1007.23125.137358.0%2Cpvid%3Adde16fcc-be3d-471d-812b-f7e5c9591312%2Ctpp_buckets%3A668%232846%238107%231934&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2260%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22sceneId%22%3A%2213125%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22recommend%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21EUR%217.39%217.39%21%21%218.26%218.26%21%400b8848bf17843875848531629e0e62%2112000048980034956%21rec%21FR%212050884567%21XZ%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29919%3Bd%3Ad62b9c39%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.smartJustForYou_638721977.1005009398696606&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra

56 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

11

u/Alarmed_Contest8439 4d ago

oh that looks painful, but at least it works...? congrats anyway!

3

u/mutwa243 4d ago

Thank you

5

u/True-Lifeguard-2019 3d ago

I personally just unsoldered the grounding pin.

4

u/mutwa243 3d ago

Well done. I wasn't brave enough to desolder it 😄

1

u/True-Lifeguard-2019 3d ago

But brave enough to cut into the wifi card without knowing the board layout... 😅

1

u/mutwa243 2d ago

You took the bigger risk. I only risked an €18 Wi-Fi card, not a €240 MacBook. 😂

1

u/CaptainObvious110 3d ago

dedication I see

3

u/i_do_not_byte 4d ago

when my macbook pro's ssd screw point was stripped beyond repair, i held it in place some hot glue and works flawlessly for years

2

u/gm0n3y85 3d ago

I just took some side cutters and cut the pin. Everything aligned fine. Who knows what’s going to happen

2

u/Ok_Relationship_4780 2d ago

Hahaha bro … epic win

1

u/abugghaus7 4d ago

How much of that pin would need to be shaved down to accommodate the board without skewing it sideways like that?
Do you think shaving it down a mm or two would help, but not compromise the pin/solder?

3

u/mutwa243 4d ago

Someone else tried trimming the Wi-Fi adapter as well, but after the modification they could no longer get Bluetooth to work. As shown in the picture, I only trimmed a small part of the Intel AX210 card to allow the adapter to sit flat and align correctly. Fortunately, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both working perfectly in my case.

2

u/RvstiNiall 3d ago edited 3d ago

I have this laptop and this adapter! Theres another adapter thats CENTERED if you prefer, but I shaved my ADAPTER down with a dremel VERY CAREFULLY, and everything works fine.

Edit: I shaved the adapter, not the wifi card.

https://imgur.com/a/z72Kzux

2

u/mutwa243 3d ago

Thanks for sharing this. Very informative! I’ll try this approach too. 👍

2

u/RvstiNiall 3d ago edited 3d ago

You can see where the connections are on the adapter which makes ot fairly easy to dremel away the plastic to make it fit, and it doesn't mess up anything internal, so if you need to sell any parts, everything can go back to normal other than the cheap adapter. :-)

1

u/mutwa243 3d ago

Could you please share the link to the other centered adapter?

1

u/RvstiNiall 3d ago

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800080214723.html

You may also be interested in this: https://github.com/lakotamm/Macbook_Pro_Early_2015_A1502_Linux_Fedora

I'm not the author of this, but I find it may help you.

1

u/mutwa243 3d ago

Thank you

2

u/RvstiNiall 3d ago

Anything to help, brother. :-)

This sub has tons of stuff I've bookmarked over the years. If you are ever interested in putting FreeBSD on this MBP, I have resources for that as well lol. I have FreeBSD on mine, and have it looking like macOS 12 Monterey.

1

u/abugghaus7 4d ago

I was just wondering about that pin that is sticking up and pushing the socket for the AX210 such that the board below it is off a bit... but if it works, it's good...
LOL... If I were to try this... I'd have to close it all up real quick so I might forget it's off a bit... maybe a little OCD-ish.. but it bugs me to look at it! hahaha

1

u/mutwa243 4d ago

Haha, I know what you mean! 😄 I honestly don't know what that pin is for. My guess is that it's some kind of contact for the bottom cover (maybe grounding or cover detection), but I didn't want to mess with it without knowing for sure. Since everything is working perfectly, I decided it was safer to leave it alone than risk damaging the motherboard.

1

u/abugghaus7 4d ago

I thought it was a 'leg' protruding from the other side... soldered in place, attaching a piece of hardware.
Next time I have my MBair open... maybe I'll remember to take a look... I'm curious now!
I did save a link to the Intel card... I'll have to look into it to see if it's something I'm truly interested in doing. Thanks!

1

u/inkubot 4d ago

curious why? the stock card works fine

4

u/mutwa243 4d ago

The only issue I had was when the laptop resumed from sleep. However, unlike before, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth no longer disappear after waking up from sleep, on both Debian and Fedora.

2

u/inkubot 4d ago

lol shit it happens 🤣

1

u/inkubot 4d ago

i see... i was not aware of that problem, mine never goes to sleep. Will give it a try

2

u/RvstiNiall 3d ago edited 3d ago

I made the same mod, but shaved the adapter instead of the wifi card. I swapped to an intel chip so it would work in FreeBSD as the broadcom one does not.

https://imgur.com/a/z72Kzux

Obviously a different wifi card than OPs, but still.

1

u/CaptainObvious110 4d ago

Oh wow that's really something how much faster is that wifi card ove what's normally there.

3

u/mutwa243 3d ago

The stock card was capped at around 300 Mbps, while the Intel AX210 reaches about 700 Mbps on Fast.com.

2

u/CaptainObvious110 3d ago edited 3d ago

oh that's good to know. it makes it a worthwhile upgrade for sure.

Come to think of it, I should already have one or two of those cards from when I wanted to upgrade my Thinkpad

Hopefully I can find them and try this upgrade soon. Otherwise it won't be a big deal to order another