Can the A1181 AirPort Extreme card be replaced with a 3rd party card?

I did a bit of research and confirmed that it is a Mini PCIe slot and that the Apple Airport card normally installed it in is a Mini PCIe card. However, what's not clear is whether the machine will boot with something else installed in it. I don't know if that's built into the hardware, firmware, or operating system. Since I'm running Linux on this machine, though, I feel like there's a good chance I'll be able to work around it. I've ordered an Intel WiFi Mini PCIe half-size card and a half-to-full adapter, so we'll see how it goes!

I have looked at the USB Wi-Fi adapters and that is another option if this doesn't work well. I like the idea of keeping the card internal and leveraging the antennae already built into the MacBook's frame.

@prwood - While the physical interface could support a different board… you still need a workable driver for the board to talk to OS.

I would recommend you speak with the vender to see if the offer the needed drivers.

@danj From what I understand, there is good support for Intel WiFi cards in Linux. I'm going to give it a try with this card - no major financial loss if it doesn't work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MV3...