So, after finally upgrading the memory on my late 2006 iMac, it has become clear that the airport is going bad. As I mostly just surf, I never notice much lag but the online game hound that is my son complains about it all the time. The 5 year warranty I had ran out a while back. Is it correct that to replace the airport extreme card, you have to get way up inside it? I am not doing that.

Are there products I can buy that I can attach to the outside of the computer through the USB to get the same effect? I've done some searching, but I like the definitiveness of the answers I usually get here. Thanks in advance.

What kind of router do you have?

Go to speedtest.net, what kind of numbers, ping, down, and up?

Can you temporarily connect via Ethernet? Turn off airport if you do. What is speedtest like with Ethernet?

If it is the card, could be, it's doable. The hardest part is releasing the two latches at the top.

Take apart, click on Airport card. In the step where they have you insert a credit card, it's a PIA. I have never had the luck. I just pull the bottom open far enough to be able to get a screwdriver in to flip the latches at the top.

And yes there are external options but run the speed tests, let's see if it is the card, your connection in general...or the son.

Thanks for your advice. Am doing some speed comparisons.

Don't think I can do an ethernet check because my ethernet connection on my iMac has been next to useless for years now and I have been using only the aiport card. I decided to instead compare my iMac to my son's iPad.

I took two readings for each a few minutes apart.

iMac 1st reading: ping 11ms download 15.11Mbps upload 1.90Mbps
iMac 2nd reading: ping 12 ms download 3.01Mbps upload 0.97Mbps

iPad 1st reading: ping 18 ms download 18.57Mbps upload 1.85Mbps
iPad 2nd reading: ping 20 ms download 14.58Mbps upload 1.95Mbps

The second Mac reading (which was very near in time to the 2nd iPad reading) seems pretty conclusive maybe?

My router? Um, not sure, but I could check. Regardless, the iPad and the iMac speeds are a useful comparison no?

3rd test, done one after the other.

iPad ping 18 ms download 23.55Mbps upload 1.78Mbps

iMac ping 10 ms download 11.27Mbps upload 1.97Mbps

Is the iPad at the same distance from the router as the iMac?

The iPad numbers kind of vary. Is anyone else using the wireless at the time you run the speedtest?

Is it the same distance away when you run the tests and like Michael mentioned, are the iPad and iMac in the same room?

No one else was using the wifi at the time.

And yes the iPad and the iMac were the same distance away. It is a time capsule I use by the way.

Do you have a lot of networks around you? Set up the 5Ghz n network for the iPad and iMac. The iPhone needs 2.4 ghz though. If it is network interference going n may help it.

The big difference between the tests on the same device is odd. They will vary on Download by 1 or 2 maybe, but usually not the difference you had on the iPad.