Chosen Solution
I’m looking to upgrade the WiFi card on my MacBook Pro 17" MacBookPro8,3 to WiFi AC with Bluetooth 4.0 so I can get Airdrop to work along with faster WiFi connectivity. Can anyone advise which part I need specifically to get this done if it’s possible? I saw that it was possible on Luke Miani’s YouTube channel but for a different MacBook Pro. Is it possible to upgrade the WiFi card on a MacBook Pro 17" MacBookPro8,3?
Sorry this series uses a different interface for the AirPort board than the newer unibody and early retina systems as you can see here MacBook Pro 15"/17" Unibody (2008-2009) Airport Extreme Card and MacBook Pro 17" Unibody (Early-Mid 2009) Bluetooth Board Whereas the the 2012 15” uses a single combo bd MacBook Pro Unibody (Early 2011-Mid 2012) AirPort/Bluetooth Board to get to handoff services. And to get to AC WiFI you would need to jump to MacBook Pro Retina (2015) Airport/Bluetooth Board As you can see between the physical boards being very different in size the interface is also very different it just physically can’t fit. Lastly, the limitations of the OS your system is limited to won’t offer the needed firmware or drivers to support it. Yes it’s a bummer! I finally had to give up on my 17” systems years ago because of the slow WIFI too.
