After getting totally fed up with the poor Wi-Fi range on my MacBook Pro, I picked up an external Cisco/Linksys WUSB600N. Of course, Linksys doesn’t provide Mac drivers for this product, but it’s a Ralink 2870 and Ralink provides drivers for MacOS X in their support section. I downloaded the RTUSB D2870-2.0.0.0 UI-2.0.0.0_2009_10_02.dmg driver (5.2 MB).
There is a driver inside USBWireless-10.6 for Snow Leopard, and it will complain during installation that the RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext failed to install. This is expected, just ignore it, the installation will complete successfully.
At the time of this writing, the WUSB600N v2 isn’t included in the Info.plist for the kext, so I had to edit /System/Library/Extensions/RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext/Contents/Info.plist in a text editor and add the appropriate bits. Search for “Linksys – RT2870 – 2” and duplicate the <key> and <dict> elements, renaming the key to “Linksys – RT2870 – 3” and the idProduct integer from “113” to “121”. Here’s what it should look like after the changes:
<key>Linksys - RT2870 - 3</key>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.Ralink.driver.RT2870USBWirelessDriver</string>
<key>IOClass</key>
<string>RT2870USBWirelessDriver</string>
<key>IOProviderClass</key>
<string>IOUSBDevice</string>
<key>idProduct</key>
<integer>121</integer>
<key>idVendor</key>
<integer>5943</integer>
</dict>
After making this change, unload/reload the kext or reboot your machine, and then plug in your WUSB600N and you should get a window popping up telling you that a new network device has been detected.
I hope this helps someone, as I was totally disappointed when I learned that Linksys wasn’t supporting this device on Mac “out of the box.”
Programmer, husband, father, singer, guitarist, tinkerer, reverse engineer, strange, and living in New Jersey. 
Super instructions. Worked as advertised. Thanks for the post.
Works, but it keeps disconnecting… Seems like the wlan key falls out… Any suggestions? Anyways, thanks a lot…
bip ups dude it work nice and simple thank you
I spent hours trying to get this working on my MacBook Pro with OSX 10.6.2 and my girlfriend’s PowerBook G4 with OSX 10.5.7 with no luck. Does it matter that I’m using driver version 2.0.1.0? I can’t find 2.0.0.0 anywhere.
Frenk: I’m not sure, but I’ve only tested with 2.0.0.0.
I’ve made my copy of RTUSB D2870-2.0.0.0 UI-2.0.0.0_2009_10_02.dmg (5.2 MB) available for download. Give it a try and see if you can get it to work.
Hi,
I tested WUSB600N on Macbook 10.6.3 but nothing happened. (V2 – with RTUSB D2870-2.0.0.0 UI-2.0.0.0_2009_10_02.dmg)
Do you have any idea ?
Did you make the change to Info.plist as described above? You may need to use Console.app to try and find messages that indicate why “nothing” is happening.
Yes, I changed info.plist as you desbribed. I’am looking for explanation with Console.?app
When I plug USB dongle, it says ; RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext had not been installed properly… installe again.
I guess that’s pretty self-explanatory … I’m not sure what could have resulted in the installation failure.
no, It happens when I plug USB Dongle, not after reboot
It will not let me save the file once I have made the changes? Is there an even more dumbed down version you can explain to me? All I want is wireless on my mac!
DimV: It won’t let you save the file because it’s owned by the system account. Here’s a copy of my file:
RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext-Info.plist
Save that file to your Desktop, then using Terminal.app, at the command line:
$ sudo cp ~/Desktop/RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext-Info.plist /System/Library/Extensions/RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext/Contents/Info.plist
(All on one long line.)
It’ll prompt you for your password, then copy the file. Then, you should be able to reboot and when your system is done rebooting, you can plug in the WUSB600N and hopefully it’ll work.
I tried all this, what do I do after I copy and paste? How do I go about copying the file?
The “sudo cp” command should copy the file to the right place.
So many hours wasted until I stumbled upon these instructions. Eternally grateful!!! Cheers mate.
I trid this on a G5 iMac running 10.5.8. I used all the extra pieces you had published, using both files and the script. When I reboot and put in the usb adapter, I get nothing. I did ensure that I was logged in as an administrative user also. Any guidance on what I should be looking for in the console – I looked at teh logs but also didnt see anything there. Finally, though it might be the usb adapter, but it works fine on a windows box.
Elric: Sorry, I don’t know if this will work on PPC-based Macs, I’ve only tested it on my Intel-based MacBook Pro.
Has anybody gotten this to work with the most up-to-date Ralink 3.0.0.0 driver? 2.x constantly uses between 15 and 20% of CPU on my MacBook. I wanted to give 3.x a try, to no avail. Please share your experiences…
Joy!
It works with the latest version of the Ralink Driver (3.0.3.0, dated 9/10/2010) on 10.6.4. I had to do a cold reboot. At least that’s when it started working.
Cool! I’ll try again. No honour in giving up to easily :)
But I have a question.
Do you know where is the file that would tell it my order of preferred networks? I can set the order for my internal AirPort on the Advanced dialog box. I assume there is a file somewhere that the WUSB600N would read to serve the same purpose. I’m trying to get it to choose to join the weaker of two available wifi networks and I don’t see any way to choose.
Somehow, I ended up with a copy of Ralink’s WirelessUtility.app, which lets you explicitly define SSIDs and connect to them — not sure if you can set an “order” of preference, though.
Yes. Thank you very much for all of this. It was right there in my Applications. Got installed with the driver, but I didn’t notice it. That’s all I really needed. I can choose which source it connects to.
For those of you who still have problems connecting, you can try clearing your extension cache after you made the changes to kext. That worked for me, whereas the original instructions didn’t. Here’s a link to how to clear the extension cache:
http://rfukada.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/osx86-tools-150/
I just followed these instructions and got this adapter working on an OLD iMac (The ugly one with the bubble body and the 15″ flat screen on the pole) running 10.4.11. I had to use the clear extension cache instructions and did a cold boot, but it worked like a charm. Thanks for giving this old mac a couple more years of life. :)
Just as a follow-up the latest (as of Jan 22, 2011) Ralink drivers (RTUSB D2870-3.0.3.0 UI-3.0.0.0_2010_10_29) install without any kext complaints and work well with a Sitecom WL-345 USB adapter (Mac OS 10.6.6). The drivers available through Sitecom’s website (RTUSB D2870-2.0.0.0 UI-2.0.0.0_2009_10_02) fail with the .kext warning.
Do I have to edit the Info.plist with the latest version too? For Linksys WUSB600n I cant seem to get it work it still says No Device!
I tried shut down and turn on but still no succes..
Already tested all usb ports none work.
Im on Snow Leopard 10.6.3 (on a windows based pc).
any suggestions?
I have a >>Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 with a CPU i5-650, 2x 3200MHz, So-1156<< and sueccessfully installed the WUSB600N now, following the above instructions, added the use of KEXT UTILITY to clar some cache. After a reboot the WLAN connection is available and stable. I am using the 2.0 driver, the newer ones did not want to cooperate.
Thanks a lot
Thank you for taking the time to post and share this tip. I upgraded my MacPro from 10.5.x to 10.6.3 and it left my wifi behind. I can’t get a cable to that machine so I was stuck. Luckily my first Google search “WUSB600N snow leopard” brought me right to you.
It took several tries and combinations of clearing caches, editing ktexts, and fiddling with permissions, but it finally worked.
It’s so disappointing that manufacturers can’t update their wares for customers. Or even reach out to individuals like you and offer a couple bucks for your solution, then roll it into their FAQ at least.
I have just now update to the 3.0 Driver (google for RTUSB D2870-3.0.3.0 UI-3.0.0.0_2010_10_29.dmg) – prior to that, I hgave extracted the info.plist from the older kext file (2.0 driver version) to the desktop and copied that after the installation of the 3.0 into the new kext. And it works now.
Thanks and regards
Manfredo
Hi, Thought others that might be having trouble would want to know that it works.
I got it working using part of Dossy’s work, and some further sleuthing. Here’s my working solution:
Using a Cisco/Linksys WUSB600N V2 European version (purchased from Amazon.de)
Running on a Apple iMac 2 GHz Intel Core Duo (iMac4,1), Mac OS X 10.6.7
Do not install the USB stick until instructed to towards the end of the instuctions.
Downloaded and installed the driver for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard from Ralink: USB(RT2870 /RT2770 /RT307X /RT2070 /RT3572) dated 05/03/2011 driver version V4.1.2.0 for Apple Mac OS X 10.4/10.5/10.6 (this is current as of 28th May 2011)
http://www.ralinktech.com/license_us.php?n=3&p=0&t=U0wyRnpjMlYwY3k4eU1ERXhMekExTHpBekwyUnZkMjVzYjJGa01EVXlNRFF4T1Rrd09DNWtiV2M5UFQxU1ZGVlRRaUJFTWpnM01DMDBMakV1TWk0d0lGVkpMVFF1TUM0eUxqQmZNakF4TVY4d05WOHdNZz09Qw%3D%3D
After installation of the driver, do a reboot.
Download and follow instructions from Dossy Shiobara May 6, 2010 at 9:22 am, above.
Then Repair Disk Permissions. I used Disk Utility for this.
Then Clear System Application Cache:
Start Terminal. Enter “sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches” (no quotes).
You’ll be prompted for your password.
Then recreate the system mkext:
Enter “sudo -s”
You’ll be prompted for your password.
In the shell (that’s what the -s is for), enter “kextcache -system-mkext”
When it’s done running, type “exit”
(if you get an error message, that says that it won’t include the RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext, wait for the command to finish, then type “exit”. Then close Terminal. Uninstall the Ralink software with the uninstaller included in the DMG download from Ralink. Reboot. Then reinstall the driver and start from the Download and follow instructions section above.)
If the recreate mkext works, shut down your computer.
Start up your computer. :)
Once you are logged in and all your start up items have loaded, insert the WUSB600N USB stick.
You should get the notification that you Mac has found a new network device, and the Ralink Wireless Utility should start.
From here you’ll need to configure the network device and set the necessary values in Ralink Wireless Utility.
Thanks Dossy for the modified kext file! Without it, this process did not work at all. Now I’ve 5GHz Dual Band N WiFi. And it survives shut downs and reboots. Sweet!
Cheers,
K
Oh god Karl, I have to thank you 1 million times! I’ve been following everything said in this post and until now I haven’t been able to make my “Cisco/Linksys WUSB600N V2” work. Reading your answer, I told myself “eh, yet another solution; why not give it a try, it would only be the 23rd time I reboot”. I tried it however but without any real hope; but finally it worked!! This is actually the very small USBkey which is letting me send this message right now :)
So thank you very much for your thorough explanations and thanks a lot to Dossy who brought the subject as the first result in Google (3 years ago!)
As my Lion had been having problems connecting at 5GHz to my Netgear wireless router, I decided to try my WUSB600N card on it and worked flawless using this recipe.
Thx.
Hurray !
got it working in Lion also (I loaded the kext manually in the terminal … sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/RT2870USBWirelessDriver.kext )
Thanks .
Do these instructions work for the Linksys AE1000 wireless N USB adapter?
According to what I’ve read the AE1000 is identical to the WUSB600N
I don’t know. If they truly are identical, then I would imagine these steps should work. Couldn’t hurt to try — if it works, great, if it doesn’t, you’re no worse off than when you started.
If it does work, I’m sure everyone would appreciate it if you could let us all know. Thanks!
I got the AE1000 working with the latest RT2870 drivers on 10.6.8. The only modification to the above instructions is to change idProduct integer from “113″ to “47″, not “121”. Your Info.plist entry should look like this.
Linksys – RT2870 – 3
CFBundleIdentifier
com.Ralink.driver.RT2870USBWirelessDriver</stri$
IOClass
RT2870USBWirelessDriver
IOProviderClass
IOUSBDevice
idProduct
47
idVendor
5041</integer
Thanks for getting me started Dossy!
I got the AE1000 working with the latest RT2870 drivers on 10.6.8. The only modification to the above instructions is to change idProduct integer from “113″ to “47″, not “121″. The System Profiles listed the Product ID as 002f – I converted it from hex to decimal and got 47. Works perfectly. Thanks for getting me started Dossy!
The original entry got garbled. Guess the editor doesn’t like XML entries!
would any one have a copy of USB(RT2870 /RT2770 /RT307X /RT2070 /RT3572) dated 05/03/2011 driver version V4.1.2.0 for Apple Mac OS X 10.4/10.5/10.6
I cant for the life of me find a source for this file other then ralink
ralink has been offline :(
been trying to get my ae1000 working on SL but i cant find new newest build V4.1.2.0 anywhere since ralink is down
wondering if anyone has a copy of this laying around
“USB(RT2870 /RT2770 /RT307X /RT2070 /RT3572) dated 05/03/2011 driver version V4.1.2.0 for Apple Mac OS X 10.4/10.5/10.6”
thanks
Got the new update ralink was only Down for the weekend
However I am now on lion 10.7.2
Anyone able to get the AE1000 working properly on lion?
I tryed converting my product id and vender id from hex to decimal and editing info.plist but no luck
I don’t know if anyone has realized this, but when i try to download the latest driver from Ralink, it shows up as a bash script, but it is really a dmg and has new drivers in it. :\ I’m trying it now and seeing how it goes. I am using a linksys ae1000 on lion and have found no joy using the 2.0.0.0 driver.
I figured it out for the Linksys AE1000 to run on Lion.
1. Download the newest driver from the ralink homepage
2. modify the info.plist file by adding this:
Linksys – RT2870 – 3
CFBundleIdentifier
com.Ralink.driver.RT2870USBWirelessDriver
IOClass
RT2870USBWirelessDriver
IOProviderClass
IOUSBDevice
idProduct
47
idVendor
5041
3. run “KextUtility 2” (search it on google)
4. restart
WORKS
Like a charm! Thanks :)
If the newest driver crashes as soon as you plug in the stick install first an older driver and then the newer again.
Is it possible to make Linksys WUS54G work in snow leopard?
I remember fighting with those things for months back in 2008 trying to get them to work under TiVo’s Linux.
The ones I dealt with used a Ralink 2570 chipset. Apparently Ralink has MacOS X drivers available:
http://www.ralinktech.com/en/04_support/support.php?sn=502
Look for the “USB(RT257X/RT2671/RT2500)” download link and perhaps give that a try.
Let us all know whether it works or not. Thanks!
Correction: Linksys WUSB54g.
This is what worked for me on 10.8.3 with V2:
Download and install latest Ralink software for rt2870.
Restart.
Download the kext file here: http://www.osx86.net/view/1683-rt2870usbwirelessdriver.html and install using kext utility.
Restart.
Plug in dongle
Profit!
There is a new version of the driver for Mavericks http://www.osx86.net/files/file/3603-rt2870usbwirelessdriverkext-for-mavericks-109/ and after having modified the info.plist as described above PLUS performing the different steps as described by Karl above, I have my WUSB600N active in Mavericks. Regards Manfredo
Hi, Manfredo! Thanks for the update – this is great!
Was wondering if I could modify this somehow to get an old Rosewill RNX-N2X working on hackintosh?
Guys I’ve not tried the following on SnowLeopard (it’s claimed to work) however it worked fine with Yosemite 10.10.5
The one that worked is the DLink package (https://github.com/chris1111/WIFI-Dlink-Catalina-Panel-V2), not the RALink package (https://github.com/chris1111/Wireless-Ralink-Panel-Utility). The issue is that macOS complained the latter’s kext isn’t signed. A simple replace of the one kext with the other would work, if you want to use the RALink “panel”.
Other links that may interest the hardcore peeps:
https://gist.github.com/jimklo/7166160
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/solution-linksys-wusb600n-driver-that-works-on-mountain-lion.63223/
Good luck!