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I bought an Airport card on ebay to install in my G3 iMac and it came with no install instructions. I have no idea where this thing should go... I opened up the bottom panel but I can't see any matching ports where the card should go.

Thanks for any help with this matter!

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As described, on compatible slot-loading iMac G3 models the AirPort card lives under the small circular access hatch on the underside. Open that hatch and you should see the AirPort antenna and the card guides beside the memory — the card seats straight into that connector. For photos and model notes see the iFixit teardown and EveryMac iMac G3 Q&A. iFixit teardown EveryMac Q&A. (ifixit.com)

Quick install checklist:

  • Power down, unplug, and place the iMac face down on a soft surface.
  • Turn the plastic/coin screw on the small round access door and lower it — the antenna and card guides are visible inside.
  • Remove any clear protective cap on the antenna, align the card in the guide, and seat it straight into the connector; attach the tiny antenna coax.
  • Replace the hatch, reconnect power, and confirm the card shows up in System Profiler / Network prefs. Follow iFixit photos for orientation and gentle handling of the antenna cable. (ifixit.com)

Compatibility caveats and troubleshooting:

  • Original AirPort (802.11b) cards and AirPort Extreme (802.11g) cards use different physical/hardware forms and are not interchangeable; a card that will not seat is probably the wrong generation. If your iMac is an older tray-loading/low-end G3 it may lack the slot entirely — EveryMac lists which G3 revisions have the internal AirPort slot. If you have the wrong card, either source the original AirPort (802.11b) card for that model or use a USB Wi‑Fi adapter as an alternative. After installing, if the card is not detected, reseat it and the antenna cable (do not force connectors) and double-check the iMac model identifier against EveryMac. Wikipedia AirPort overview EveryMac Q&A. (en.wikipedia.org)

Notes: 's pointer to a teardown is useful for pictures, and 's compatibility warning is correct — confirm the iMac model before buying parts.

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Member Avatar for clsid

I bought an Airport card on ebay to install in my G3 iMac and it came with no install instructions. I have no idea where this thing should go... I opened up the bottom panel but I can't see any matching ports where the card should go.

Thanks for any help with this matter!

Check if this works for you.

Member Avatar for guest

Try this. It is actually for the G3 iMac rather than the ibook.
You may have bought one of the cards that do not work with that computer the second and third gen Airport/Airport Extreem cards will not work with that model.

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