Actually, the engineers responded and had me create and sent in debug logs. Have not heard since. I suspect, it's one of those hard to recreate issues. There are other USB related issues I have seen.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MP 1,1-5,1 802.11ac, BT 4.0, Continuity, and Handoff Working on Mac Pro 2010
- Thread starter MacProSector
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Hopefully and expectedly it'll get sorted out in the next point release. Considering it was a showcase feature for Yosemite, I'm surprised they didn't make sure this was one thing that was really solid.
Last edited:
Something for the Mac Pro 3,1 crowd in the chance it helps someone looking here for tips.
In July I installed OSXWifi's BCM94360CD kit. The computer already had an original Bluetooth card installed by the factory. It was attached by two screws. One of them came out fine but the other was stuck firm. The head was beginning to strip so I left the card in place. Upon boot, the system immediately selected the new BCM94360CD and everything worked beautifully. It continued that way, including the occasional reboot.
I kept a record of System Information > Bluetooth before and after installing the BCM94360CD kit,
Before
Vendor ID: 0x05AC
Product ID: 0x8206
After
Vendor ID: 0x05AC
Product ID: 0x828D
Yesterday I changed the RAM configuration (removed a pair since one stick is failing). While the machine was open, I decided to try again removing the old BT card using a small handheld screw extractor. That tiny screw (2M-0.4x3mm or darn close) is too small for the extractor to work. I used a plastic spudger to gently wiggle the old card around the edges to see if that might loosen the screw enough to get it out, but no luck.
So, once again I decided to leave the old BT card in because it seemed to be ignored (or at least not preferred) by the system. However, when the system booted, WiFi worked fine but now the old BT card was activated. The System Information showed
Product ID: 0x8206
I tried rebooting, reseting PRAM, resetting SMC -- still saw the old BT card.
I launched Bluetooth Explorer and selected Utilities > HCI Controller Selector. Opening the dropdown revealed this
I selected 7D130000 and clicked Activate, but the new HC wouldn't activate. The old one stayed activated.
Right. Time to get serious about pulling out that old BT card.
Thinking the factory might have used an adhesive to keep the screw in place, I gave the screw head a shot of heat using the tip of soldering iron. I heard a small pop as the screw expanded. Tried using various tools to turn the screw, but no budge.
Next I decided to try drilling out the head with a 5/64 bit and inserting the smallest screw extractor I could find (EX-1 by Irwin Hanson). I was not keen to risk metal shavings flying onto the motherboard so a) I used a slow speed, and b) I cut a small piece of paper with a hole positioned over the screw in order to catch debris. The drill bit was magnetized so, at slow speed, it did a pretty good job of holding onto shavings. I also carefully vacuumed the area immediately after drilling.
The extractor was the right size, but I still couldn't get the screw to budge. Dang!
In the end I ended up drilling the screw until the head popped off. The head landed on the piece of paper when I pulled back the drill so was easy to retrieve. The BT card lifted up easily. That screw post will never be usable, but if for some reason I ever had to install a card in the old location, the other screw post is clear. Obviously it only requires one screw to hold the card in place.
Booted up the machine and the new card activated as expected. And, with no old BT card lurking in the system, I expect trouble-free performance from here on.
I've seen more than one user comment on stripping screws while trying to remove the old BT card. Maybe this tale will help you solve the problem!
In July I installed OSXWifi's BCM94360CD kit. The computer already had an original Bluetooth card installed by the factory. It was attached by two screws. One of them came out fine but the other was stuck firm. The head was beginning to strip so I left the card in place. Upon boot, the system immediately selected the new BCM94360CD and everything worked beautifully. It continued that way, including the occasional reboot.
I kept a record of System Information > Bluetooth before and after installing the BCM94360CD kit,
Before
Vendor ID: 0x05AC
Product ID: 0x8206
After
Vendor ID: 0x05AC
Product ID: 0x828D
Yesterday I changed the RAM configuration (removed a pair since one stick is failing). While the machine was open, I decided to try again removing the old BT card using a small handheld screw extractor. That tiny screw (2M-0.4x3mm or darn close) is too small for the extractor to work. I used a plastic spudger to gently wiggle the old card around the edges to see if that might loosen the screw enough to get it out, but no luck.
So, once again I decided to leave the old BT card in because it seemed to be ignored (or at least not preferred) by the system. However, when the system booted, WiFi worked fine but now the old BT card was activated. The System Information showed
Product ID: 0x8206
I tried rebooting, reseting PRAM, resetting SMC -- still saw the old BT card.
I launched Bluetooth Explorer and selected Utilities > HCI Controller Selector. Opening the dropdown revealed this
I selected 7D130000 and clicked Activate, but the new HC wouldn't activate. The old one stayed activated.
Right. Time to get serious about pulling out that old BT card.
Thinking the factory might have used an adhesive to keep the screw in place, I gave the screw head a shot of heat using the tip of soldering iron. I heard a small pop as the screw expanded. Tried using various tools to turn the screw, but no budge.
Next I decided to try drilling out the head with a 5/64 bit and inserting the smallest screw extractor I could find (EX-1 by Irwin Hanson). I was not keen to risk metal shavings flying onto the motherboard so a) I used a slow speed, and b) I cut a small piece of paper with a hole positioned over the screw in order to catch debris. The drill bit was magnetized so, at slow speed, it did a pretty good job of holding onto shavings. I also carefully vacuumed the area immediately after drilling.
The extractor was the right size, but I still couldn't get the screw to budge. Dang!
In the end I ended up drilling the screw until the head popped off. The head landed on the piece of paper when I pulled back the drill so was easy to retrieve. The BT card lifted up easily. That screw post will never be usable, but if for some reason I ever had to install a card in the old location, the other screw post is clear. Obviously it only requires one screw to hold the card in place.
Booted up the machine and the new card activated as expected. And, with no old BT card lurking in the system, I expect trouble-free performance from here on.
I've seen more than one user comment on stripping screws while trying to remove the old BT card. Maybe this tale will help you solve the problem!
My Mac Pro 3,1 exhibited the same problem with one of the two screws. Not wanting to take any risks with damaging the motherboard, I took the computer to a local electronics repair shop that has a lot of experience with Apple products. They did their magic successfully, but there was a 2-day turnaround. So that's also an option for others in this boat...
I have an Early 2009 MacPro I just obtained and thanks to this thread and the people who documented how to retrofit this feature, I got Handoff, Continuity and AirDrop working on my new desktop 
My thanks to everyone involved!
For those wondering here is the link to the item I used to do the retrofit on my Early 2009 MacPro 5,1
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251754210499?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
When the product arrived, it came with everything I would need to do the retrofit. It was literally "plug-and-play".
My thanks to everyone involved!For those wondering here is the link to the item I used to do the retrofit on my Early 2009 MacPro 5,1
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251754210499?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
When the product arrived, it came with everything I would need to do the retrofit. It was literally "plug-and-play".
Last edited:
I have an Early 2009 MacPro I just obtained and thanks to this thread and the people who documented how to retrofit this feature, I got Handoff and Continuity working on my new desktop
For those wondering here is the link to the item I used to do the retrofit on my Early 2009 MacPro 5,1
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251754210499?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
When the product arrived, it came with everything I would need to do the retrofit. It was literally "plug-and-play".
Greetings,
I also got the same item some weeks ago but I am having problems with bluetooth connection.
The magic mouse can be connected only if I bring it down to the floor and next to the tower.
There is no way to get the bluetooth speakers connected since they are on my desk.
Otherwise, Handoff,Continuity and Airdrop is supported.
As I am writing this I am using a USB dongle but Handoff and Continuity does not work as expected but I can use Airdrop.
My question is,
if I add a bluetooth antenna to the system so I can have better connection, will Handoff and Continuity work?
Cheers.
Last edited:
I am surprised to hear you're having issues if you got the same item as I did. I got the additional bluetooth antenna extension (grey cables) to connect to my bluetooth antenna and route to the wifi/bluetooth module. Not sure why you're having issues unless there's a problem with your wifi/bluetooth module.... have you contacted the vendor?
Okay, if you have always had issues then perhaps there's a problem with the bluetooth antenna on your case. Perhaps hooking up a different bluetooth antenna would help...
I have 2010 Mac Pro 6-core. I just bought IOGEAR GBU521 Bluetooth 4.0 version USB dongle, and then I launched the Activation Tool program. The OS was 10.11.1. But in conclusion after going to the recovery tool, then activating with the Activation Tool, when I resetted it gave me a white crashing screen, and just went on with unlimited rebooting. I don't know what is wrong, or which steps I missed. I followed the entire process as per below:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/get-continuity-handoff-airdrop-on-old-mac-3582632/
Does anyone have luck? Is it the OS version that's causing the problem?
http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/get-continuity-handoff-airdrop-on-old-mac-3582632/
Does anyone have luck? Is it the OS version that's causing the problem?
It sounds like youre experiencing a limitation of the cheesegrater's bluetooth antenna. I used to keep mine on the desk, sideways behind my monitors (so i could get tomthe internals), and bluetooth was perfect. Now its on the floor under the desk, and i get lots of keyboard / trackpad disconnects, jumpy performance on the trackpad, and accelerated battery drain. The trackpad jumpyness is solved by holding it down under the desk closer to the tower.
Quick update - even with the 10.11.2 Handoff and Airdrop did not return.
I ended up doing a fresh install on another disk - first to Yosemite, then to El Capitan. That one is working. When I have time, I will most likely wipe my main disk (all my main disks have clones plus TimeMachine), clone the working version to it, then migrate the original content except for settings.
I wish, Apple engineers would clearly delineate ALL the files involved, it would make life much easier.
I ended up doing a fresh install on another disk - first to Yosemite, then to El Capitan. That one is working. When I have time, I will most likely wipe my main disk (all my main disks have clones plus TimeMachine), clone the working version to it, then migrate the original content except for settings.
I wish, Apple engineers would clearly delineate ALL the files involved, it would make life much easier.
Which dongle? I have the IOGear and can't get the CAT software to discover it and give my full Continuity. No handoff or airdrop here.
I finally bit the bullet and bought the new iMac airport card with BT 4.0 LE built-in. Bought from an eBay vendor based in Hong Kong. Happy to report that the card installation went without a glitch and everything works including Handoff and Continuity.
I do have a question: I am running Windows & on the Bootcamp side - do I need to update BT drivers for Win7? And if so, which version of the Bootcamp Bluetooth driver should I download?
Thanks in advance!
I do have a question: I am running Windows & on the Bootcamp side - do I need to update BT drivers for Win7? And if so, which version of the Bootcamp Bluetooth driver should I download?
Thanks in advance!
Here is a contribution from the facepalm department...so I purchased a OS X Wifi card for my MP 4,1->5,1 to get 802.11ac and BT 4.0, installed it, wifi and BT both work great, Airdrop even works, but no Handoff. I see Handoff/Continuity are supported OK in System Info, I have Handoff turned on for both the MP and my iPhone 6 in the preferences, what gives? Turns out I needed to pair my iPhone with the computer. Never even occurred to me, felt like an idiot, but now Handoff works. So those of you who can't get Handoff working, check to see if you paired your devices up...
Handoff didn't work at first for me between iPad and Mac Pro, and then it seemed to enable eventually - after maybe a week or two. I still don't know what made it work.
Sort of...the card is both 802.11ac and BT 4.0, and it fits into a mPCIE adaptor card and goes into the wifi slot on the motherboard. You then have to attach the wifi antennas and rerouted the Bluetooth antenna wire from the stock location, across the motherboard to the new card using an extension. Messing with the antenna wires is the hardest part. Once you do all that the card is natively recognized in OS X, no software modding required.
Best source is probably MacVidCards but his supply is limited. I have purchased a flashed AMD 6870 and flashing service for a 980 over the years and have been thrilled with both, so I'm sure the build quality on his wifi/BT cards is pretty good. OS X Wifi is the biggest supplier, but last I checked their solution required a USB wire outside the case and to me that was a no-go. I ended up getting mine on eBay from someone else who was doing an all-internal solution that included the card, adaptor, BT extensions, etc. The all-internal solution requires a solder on the card and that was already done.
Edit: I should specify that only the 4,1 and 5,1 are more complicated like this. Modding a 3,1 is actually very straightforward.
Did you have to use the Continuity Activation Tool to make this work? I ask because I installed the MacVidCards upgrade card and it worked great in Yosemite, but has refused to work in El Capitan. I've tried just about everything I could think of to make it work, but am starting to wonder if there is something else going on.
Thanks,
Mark
No, the tool shouldn't be required because you've installed an Apple OEM card. I never had to run it to get everything working.
Last edited:
Upgrading to 10.11.3 did not help the issue. Then somebody suggested to replace /System/Library/Coreservices/Cloudpaird with the Yosemite version. Did the trick!
You will have to deal with SIP unless you boot from an older OS to replace the file. Make sure that ownership and permissions are correct.
I upgraded my 5,1 to 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 this afternoon. Followed the same exact steps that I used when I upgraded my 4,1 earlier... started it up after the upgrade and I have everything working although I had to re-pair all of my bluetooth devices but the card saw them and allowed me to easily pair them. I purchased the same kit from eBay and had no problems with the installation.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251754210499?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I have attached the link to the eBay auction where I purchased my upgrade. For reference, I'm currently running 10.11.4 Beta (15E39d), Apple Bluetooth Software 4.4.4f1 16807, firmware version v118 c9123, Broadcom chipset
20702B0
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251754210499?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I have attached the link to the eBay auction where I purchased my upgrade. For reference, I'm currently running 10.11.4 Beta (15E39d), Apple Bluetooth Software 4.4.4f1 16807, firmware version v118 c9123, Broadcom chipset
20702B0