Hello everybody.
In the last weeks I read a lot about Wifi / Bluetooth in the MacPro 4,1/5,1. I'm aware there are guides on installing Wifi Cards in the MacPro nevertheless I wanted to share my experiences here.
My
primary goals were:
- 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.2 (or at least 4.0)
- no kext patching
- only use internal antennas
- use the internal Mini PCI Express (mPCIe) connector
- use parts that are commonly available / not overpriced
- no kit, since availability is limited / kits are overpriced in my opinion
- don't destroy stuff, aka. don't cut any cables
Basic information about the MacPro Wireless internals:
- the MacPro's internal mPCIe connector misses the USB data lanes (contrary to the standard)
- the three internal antennas are fine for 802.11ac, but a 4th antenna is needed for Bluetooth
- the stock bluetooth chip is connected via USB and uses another internal antenna
- there are about 20cm / 8 inch distance from the Bluetooth connector to the mPCIe socket
General plan (similarly used by the kits out there):
- install a Apple Wifi/Bluetooth Card using an mPCIe -> Apple proprietary adapter
- inject USB D+/D- lanes from the old Bluetooth connector to mPCIe adapter
- extend the Bluetooth antenna to reach the mPCIe socket
As the general plan seems to be pretty easy, the details are a little bit more complicated. To get the right parts, all the connectors need to be known in detail:
- the stock Bluetooth card uses a proprietary cable, which is not widely available. However the connector on the Logic board is 1.25mm hole-to-hole distance, and uses a Micro JST 1.25 4-Pin connector
- all antennas use U.FL (aka. IPEX, IPAX, IPX, AMC, MHF, UMCC) connectors
- macOS supports these broadcom chips:
- BCM4360
- BCM94360CD: iMac (Late 2012), MIMO 3x3, BT4.0
- BCM94360CS: MacPro Retina 15'' (Late 2015), MIMO 3x3, BT4.0 (shared antenna), MHF4 connectors
- BCM94360CS2: MacBook Air (Mid 2013), MIMO 2x2, BT4.0, MHF4 connectors
- BCM43602
Buying stuff... I prefer websites using english websites, so my main sources are AliExpress and eBay.
- Apple Wifi (12+6 Pin) -> mPCIe Card
- gernerally traded as WiFi Mini-PCI-E Adapter or BCM94360CD Adapter
- Antenna Extension Cord (U.FL Male -> U.FL Female)
- Broadcom BCM943602CDP
- Micro JST 1,25mm 4-pin connector
- Optional stuff:
- 2 pins to solder to the adapter card
- 2 wires to solder to the USB extension cord
- Some shrink tube for soldered cables
View attachment 682746
Final Assembly:
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So in total I spent
49.34$ for full 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2 in my cMP 4,1.
I'd like to encourage you you do this upgrade in the same manner. The only thing that didn't go well in the first place was the wrong DF13 connector, the rest is pretty straight forward.
I hope this summary helps some of you.
Best regards,
- jonashoechst