i've never understood why people buy their kits, they seem a multiple more expensive than other alternatives for the same stuff.
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MP 1,1-5,1 802.11ac, BT 4.0, Continuity, and Handoff Working on Mac Pro 2010
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i've never understood why people buy their kits, they seem a multiple more expensive than other alternatives for the same stuff.
I agree. I purchased the BCM94360CD and the mini PCIe adapter on eBay along with USB connector that attaches to the MoBo - known as a JST SH 1.0mm 4-Pin connector (100 for a couple of bucks on eBay). Then it was just a matter of wiring up the D- and D+ connectors on the mini PCIe adapter to the USB connector on the MoBo. The D- goes to the top and the D+ to the 2nd from top of the JST SH 1.0mm 4-Pin connector (looking at it when it's plugged into the MoBo) with some shielding or shrink tubing to protect the solders. Had to learn how to solder wires etc which is a handy skill to have.
The JST SH 1.0mm 4-Pin connector is the same one that Apple uses to connect the Bluetooth Module into the MoBo. Took me a long while to wok out - bought the wrong sizes a couple of times on eBay - until I got the right connector. Hopefully this saves others having to buy ready-made (more expensive) solutions if they have the time and skill to do-it-themsleves.
What I would love to find is a mini PCIe adapter (with USB D- and D+ terminals) that allows the WiFi/BT combo card to be plugged in upside down so that the u-fl aerial connectors are on top, rather than underneath (just like the OSXWIFI ones) because it’s darned difficult trying to connect the aerial connectors (J0 to J3) when they’re underneath the card. If anyone knows where to get one of these (an alternative to the one OSXWiFi makes/sells) please let me know.
Another convenience thing you get for your OSXWiFI kit. I actually also have one like you mentioned that isn’t OSXWiFi but it has soldered on wires instead of the 2 pin plug. The WiFi/BT card on it died when I was changing Logicboards, and I didn’t want to mess with the wires. They seemed ready to break, and had gobs of glue over them I would have had to clean off. I might do that some day, but I wasn’t in the tinkering mood at the time, so I went with OSXWiFi. I’m not disappointed at all. It’s a well assembled kit...
system blacklist files that set out whether your mac is allowed handoff / continuity?
Full power off cycle if your hardware disappears, it should reappear on power-up.
Check out page 39 of this thread for the enabling command, then page 42 for my post describing of the process of how I got it to work. It might help if you’ve missed something.
I first upgraded to High Sierra and BT came back, then to activate handoff I used your sequence.
thank you
Anyone having issue with mouse or trackpad stuttering? like it's connected to cursor jumps as it has weak signal. I literally have my MP on top of the desk and mouse and trackpad is is about 6" away and it works well usually but sometimes, when it goes to into this mode.....becomes almost usable.
Option-click on your BT menubar icon (if you didn't enable it you can do so in System Preferences>Bluetooth). That will give you signal details for each connected BT peripheral. Mess around with placement to see what the numbers do.
Even if the signal numbers are OK, noise can be a big problem. Do you have a BT 3.0 card installed? If so you might try disconnecting anything that's connected to it to see if it makes any difference. USB 3.0 stuff is notorious for causing BT interference.
It's also possible that your BT antenna cable got damaged during the Airport upgrade or didn't get firmly connected somewhere. Not to mention the built-in BT antenna is crap to begin with, and its location on the back panel by the PCI cards (and where a USB 3.0 card would be if you have one) was a regrettable decision by Apple. I swapped connectors on my card to use one of the WiFi antennas for BT and I have flawless performance from my Magic KB and Trackpad. Other folks here bought a better antenna and ran it outside the case through a PCI slot cover. Several ways to skin a cat.
Do you mean with respect to the various solutions to Hand-off and Continuity, per the focus of this thread? Or in general? If the latter (and sorry for the slightly off-topic discussion) A long-standing issue. At first I thought I solved it on my 4/5,1 (BT only) with a Magic Mouse 2. But USB 3 seems to interfere. Very determinant on my system. I resolved to fix it today, and there are some solutions here in MR, mostly 3rd-party dongles or modifying the BT antenna mounted on a PCIe outlet cover. I tried something different, because why not? I located the BT module with the antenna wire, then stripped out a single wire from an ethernet cable and wrapped it around this wire and threaded it out one of the cheese grater holes. Gaff tape keeps everything in place on the inside. Perhaps 2 feet stick out the back. Works great.
Yes, I installed BT card that enables handoff.
Problem is it was working fine, then it would stutter for brief moment, than back to normal. but now since yesterday, it's almost unusable. I tried option key to check the number for signal, and I literally have magic pad stuck the body and I get-62, so maybe my card is no good anymore? I've had this over three years.....
I don't think a malfunctioning card is the problem. You didn't answer about any USB stuff you've got operating in the vicinity but you should absolutely unplug any USB cables you can to see if it makes a difference. You could also remove your USB 3 card if you have one installed. Aside from that maybe you accidentally pinched your BT antenna cable or it became partially disconnected. Before you try to replace the card you should try to replace the antenna (even if it's with just a piece of wire like kohlson).
Hi, I've got a cMP 5.1 3.33. I upgraded the Bluetooth/Wifi card 5 years ago to the one sold by OSXWIFI and Handoff and Continuity have been working fine in Yosemite.
I loaded High Sierra on another SSD (test drive) and have been trying to get Handoff and Continuity to work to no avail.
When I go to System info ~ Bluetooth it simply states "No information found"
I've downloaded CAT 2.6b6 and disabled SIP before rebooting and running the Activation tool. I logged out of iCloud and rebooted, then booted into recovery and enabled SIP, then rebooted again and logged into iCloud, still no bluetooth. I also tried running the code from page 39 of this thread, no luck:
802.11ac, BT 4.0 and Continuity & Handoff are working on Mac Pro 2010 (Keep Updating)
The Compatibility report says the bluetooth card is active and continuity is active - it's all working in Yosemite but not HS.
Am I missing something there?
I really want to get this working so I can upgrade my GPU and get Mojave, but am not going to spend the money on a GPU if I can't get C & H working.
I loaded High Sierra on another SSD (test drive) and have been trying to get Handoff and Continuity to work to no avail.
When I go to System info ~ Bluetooth it simply states "No information found"
I've downloaded CAT 2.6b6 and disabled SIP before rebooting and running the Activation tool. I logged out of iCloud and rebooted, then booted into recovery and enabled SIP, then rebooted again and logged into iCloud, still no bluetooth. I also tried running the code from page 39 of this thread, no luck:
802.11ac, BT 4.0 and Continuity & Handoff are working on Mac Pro 2010 (Keep Updating)
The Compatibility report says the bluetooth card is active and continuity is active - it's all working in Yosemite but not HS.
Am I missing something there?
I really want to get this working so I can upgrade my GPU and get Mojave, but am not going to spend the money on a GPU if I can't get C & H working.
Attachments
Look in System Profiler > USB. Does "Bluetooth USB Host Controller" show up there? What are the Product and Vendor IDs?
I don't think CAT is going to help you so long as System Profiler > Bluetooth shows "No Information Found".
Try an SMC and NVRAM reset. First shut down and remove your Yosemite drive. Then unplug the cMP's power cable and leave it unplugged for at least one minute. Plug back in. Connect a USB keyboard and then power on. As soon as you hear the chime hold down the command (windows key on a PC keyboard), option, P and R keys. Keep holding them down until you hear the cMP chime three more times (it will take a couple of minutes total), then let go of them and then it should boot from your High Sierra drive. Check System Profiler > Bluetooth and see if you get a different result there.
Thanks bookemdano, but I think I've stumbled on the solution.
To make for a neater install I was trying to use an internal USB on my Sonnet PCI USB 2 card to connect the bluetooth card. I recalled that I did originally have some trouble getting the internal USB working, however it did eventually start working and I have been using the internal USB with Yosemite for ~3 years and the card has been working fine. It's a bit puzzling why the internal USB seemed to be the stumbling block with High Sierra when it was working fine with Yosemite.
Anyway, I thought I would try to plug the USB into the external native USB and when I rebooted into High Sierra the card was there and it was working.
Unfortunately I've had to sacrifice my last available PCI slot to get the cable out which is a bit annoying, so I wrote to OSXWIFI and asked if I could get the "new" internal cable (seems this happened about 6 months after I bought my kit) that connects directly to the original bluetooth power source. Am keeping my fingers crossed as I have something planned for the last PCI slot and won't be able to install there with the USB snaking out of it.
Anyway, thanks again for your advice, even if I did figure it out myself I do appreciate that you took the time to post.