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Early 2011 Model: A1278 / 2.3 GHz i5 or 2.7 GHz i7 processor

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Why is Wi-Fi not detected/working after upgrading HDD to SSD?

Before upgrading to an SSD, my MBP had this recurring issue of the Wi-Fi turning off (hollow Wi-Fi symbol; when Wi-Fi dies, selecting the Wi-Fi icon gives the option to turn it off although it's already off, turning it off prevents me from turning it back on) and staying off. But I could fix this my simply putting it to sleep, waking it, then turning Wi-Fi off and on, so it wasn't a big deal.

After recently upgrading my HDD to an SSD, the Wi-Fi icon has a crossed out symbol and states "Wi-Fi Hardware not detected" or shows a hollow symbol and won't turn on most of the time when I boot up my MBP. The no hardware installed issue would rarely come up before I upgraded, but would be resolved with a reboot or setting it to sleep. The set to sleep and wake up trick I've usually done to fix the problem doesn't work with the SSD.

Additionally, I have tried booting from the old HDD (via USB drive enclosure), and the Wi-Fi works like it did before the upgrade. I feel like this may not be a hardware issue. Bluetooth doesn't seem to be affected by this issue. I have tried resetting NVRAM, but that hasn't worked.

Answer this question I have this problem too

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2 Answers

It seems like your Mac may have some of the WiFi plugs not plugged in or not fully plugged in. My first step would be to open up the Mac again and unplug/replug all wires going to the WiFi chip. Looking around online, this seems to be the problem that many people have.

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Often the ribbon cable connections fail at either the logic board or AirPort side. I’ve had to replace it a few times as well. Review this guide MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Early 2011 AirPort/Bluetooth Board Replacement

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Jamie Ramdial will be eternally grateful.
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