MP All Models Bluetooth for server cabinet / remote cupboard machines.

[mattspace]

Just wondering, has anyone found a reliable solution for cMP and / or 7.1 for getting a bluetooth connection to a machine that's stored in a server cabinet in a different room etc?

Displays - there's long optical active DP cables.
USB - long extensions as well
Bluetooth - ? really seems to be throwing a spanner in the works, because I use Airdrop to and from Mac / iOS quite a lot.

Has anyone solved this, or found a BT dongle that can go on a hub at your desk, and works reliably while the computer is out of range?

 

[fatespawn]

I purchased this Wifi/BT card in 2021. I've used it in both Mojave and now Monterey.

FENVi T919 WiFi Card PCI-E Network Adapter Continuity Handoff BCM94360CD WiFi Card for macOS Windows 7 8 10 11 Native Airport BT4.0 1750Mbps Dual Band 802.11ac Beamforming WLAN Cataline Mojave OS X

feFENVi T919 WiFi Card PCI-E Network Adapter Continuity Handoff BCM94360CD WiFi Card for macOS Windows 7 8 10 11 Native Airport BT4.0 1750Mbps Dual Band 802.11ac Beamforming WLAN Cataline Mojave OS X

www.amazon.com

You have to disconnect the internal Wifi/BT and then run this extension out the back of the computer somehow to plug into a USB port for BT to work.

CRJ 9-Pin USB IDC Dupont Male Header to Single USB 2.0 Type A Male Cable

Many USB devices typically intended to be used inside of a PC case come with a motherboard header connector. This cable gives you the opportunity to use any of these accessories with a standard USB port. Only the bottom 5 Pin row is electrically wired to the USB connector in accordance with USB h...

www.amazon.com

You need the extension cable because the included cable is designed for an internal Motherboard USB header which the CMP is lacking.

I had to drill a hole in the card to pass it through the back.

The advantage is the external antennas. The Antenna at the bottom of the card is the Bluetooth Antenna. I imagine all you need is an SMA extension like this to run the antenna where ever you want for coverage.

Superbat RF coaxial SMA Male to SMA Female Bulkhead RG174 15ft Cable + 3pcs RF Coax SMA Adapter Kit for SDR Equipment Antenna Ham Radio,3G 4G LTE Antenna,ADS-B,GPS and etc

Description: The pigtail cable is a SMA male to SMA female bulkhead cable using flexible RG174 coax cable. SMA male to SMA female bulkhead cable assembly uses 50 Ohm SMA for connector 1 50 Ohm SMA for connector 2. Easy to install and it can be used in many equipment. It has the advantages of wid...

www.amazon.com

 

[mattspace]

I purchased this Wifi/BT card in 2021. I've used it in both Mojave and now Monterey.

FENVi T919 WiFi Card PCI-E Network Adapter Continuity Handoff BCM94360CD WiFi Card for macOS Windows 7 8 10 11 Native Airport BT4.0 1750Mbps Dual Band 802.11ac Beamforming WLAN Cataline Mojave OS X

feFENVi T919 WiFi Card PCI-E Network Adapter Continuity Handoff BCM94360CD WiFi Card for macOS Windows 7 8 10 11 Native Airport BT4.0 1750Mbps Dual Band 802.11ac Beamforming WLAN Cataline Mojave OS X

www.amazon.com

You have to disconnect the internal Wifi/BT and then run this extension out the back of the computer somehow to plug into a USB port for BT to work.

CRJ 9-Pin USB IDC Dupont Male Header to Single USB 2.0 Type A Male Cable

Many USB devices typically intended to be used inside of a PC case come with a motherboard header connector. This cable gives you the opportunity to use any of these accessories with a standard USB port. Only the bottom 5 Pin row is electrically wired to the USB connector in accordance with USB h...

www.amazon.com

You need the extension cable because the included cable is designed for an internal Motherboard USB header which the CMP is lacking.

I had to drill a hole in the card to pass it through the back.

View attachment 2158975

The advantage is the external antennas. The Antenna at the bottom of the card is the Bluetooth Antenna. I imagine all you need is an SMA extension like this to run the antenna where ever you want for coverage.

Superbat RF coaxial SMA Male to SMA Female Bulkhead RG174 15ft Cable + 3pcs RF Coax SMA Adapter Kit for SDR Equipment Antenna Ham Radio,3G 4G LTE Antenna,ADS-B,GPS and etc

Description: The pigtail cable is a SMA male to SMA female bulkhead cable using flexible RG174 coax cable. SMA male to SMA female bulkhead cable assembly uses 50 Ohm SMA for connector 1 50 Ohm SMA for connector 2. Easy to install and it can be used in many equipment. It has the advantages of wid...

www.amazon.com

Interesting info. I already have an extension aerial for my built-in BT, but it doesn't seem to be particularly good, and as far as I understand it, the longer the aerial cable is, the worse the reception due to signal attenuation.

That's why I was wondering about the USB dongle BT adapters - because I can run a long usb cable, and put the BT adapter on the end / plug a hub in at the end and plug the BT into that (a lot of enthusiast mice come with a male to make usb adapter, so you can plug their wireless dongle onto the end of a usb cable).

 

[mode11]

I've got an upgraded BT/wifi card, I think from a later model iMac, and use an aerial extension. I've always found the BT reception to be pretty marginal, and have a high-gain antenna under my desk that essentially points at my mouse / keyboard.

I've occasionally looked for alternatives, but have never found one that's guaranteed compatible with stuff like pre-boot menus, AirDrop and Continuity. Does the Fenvi card work for this?

 

[mode11]

You need the extension cable because the included cable is designed for an internal Motherboard USB header which the CMP is lacking.

Doesn't the original BT card connect via a USB header? E.g. step 7 on this page. If not a standard plug / pinout, presumably it could be adapted easily enough?

 

[fatespawn]

Doesn't the original BT card connect via a USB header? E.g. step 7 on this page. If not a standard plug / pinout, presumably it could be adapted easily enough?

Maybe - I assume since he's mounting it in a server rack in a different room that aesthetics aren't his main concern though. If you don't care about a hole in the back of your wifi card, a drill is probably a lot quicker.

 

[mode11]

You may need to get in there and disconnect the original card anyway though (if easier / more reliable than blocking it in software), so plugging a cable in at that point would be easy enough.

I believe the port is simply the two data lines of USB 2.0, so if it there is a simple way of connecting this up, it could be good info to have. Does the Fenvi card work OK with AirDrop, Continuity, the boot picker etc.?

 

[mattspace]

Maybe - I assume since he's mounting it in a server rack in a different room that aesthetics aren't his main concern though. If you don't care about a hole in the back of your wifi card, a drill is probably a lot quicker.

It would be in the same 4x6m room (behind a cupboard door), but currently bluetooth isn't 100% reliable at less than a metre from the aerial.

I'm wondering if the problem is more due to having an extra connected section of aerial between the card and the pci backplate, then the extension cable for the aerial.

Getting those wires onto the card in the first place was so traumatic, I'm hesitant to touch them again.

I'd really just hoped I could find a usb dongle that I could plug into a hub, with all my peripherals connected to it, and then have a single long usb umbilical back to the server cupboard.

 

[fatespawn]

You may need to get in there and disconnect the original card anyway though (if easier / more reliable than blocking it in software), so plugging a cable in at that point would be easy enough.

I believe the port is simply the two data lines of USB 2.0, so if it there is a simple way of connecting this up, it could be good info to have. Does the Fenvi card work OK with AirDrop, Continuity, the boot picker etc.?

I'm not sure what Boot Picker has to do with wifi/BT, but I have an unflashed RX580 so I've never had one - except I do now with Martin Lo's OC. Continuity/AirDrop work fine in both Mojave and Monterey.

 

[fatespawn]

It would be in the same 4x6m room (behind a cupboard door), but currently bluetooth isn't 100% reliable at less than a metre from the aerial.

I'm wondering if the problem is more due to having an extra connected section of aerial between the card and the pci backplate, then the extension cable for the aerial.

Getting those wires onto the card in the first place was so traumatic, I'm hesitant to touch them again.

I'd really just hoped I could find a usb dongle that I could plug into a hub, with all my peripherals connected to it, and then have a single long usb umbilical back to the server cupboard.

I just did a very unscientific test of my wifi/BT range with that Fenvi card. I could control my screen with my trackpad from about 15m. I could AirDrop reliably at about 7m.

 

[mattspace]

I just did a very unscientific test of my wifi/BT range with that Fenvi card. I could control my screen with my trackpad from about 15m. I could AirDrop reliably at about 7m.

Well, I've just taken a section out of my BT cable link, removing the original extender that went from the combo BT/Wifi card to the internal antenna, and now the cable to the PCI plate is plugged directly into the card, so hopefully that'll deal with some attenuation issues. I'll test it out.

By way of comparison, previously I could have my iPhone (OG SE) playing audio to Beats Flex, and be on the floor below, and out in the carport (concrete slab above), and audio would keep streaming. With the Mac and those same earbuds, I could walk to the next room on the same floor and it would start cutting out.

 

[mode11]

I'm not sure what Boot Picker has to do with wifi/BT, but I have an unflashed RX580 so I've never had one - except I do now with Martin Lo's OC. Continuity/AirDrop work fine in both Mojave and Monterey.

Maybe nothing, but I wanted to check that the BT mouse / keyboard work as intended before the OS loads.

 

[fatespawn]

Maybe nothing, but I wanted to check that the BT mouse / keyboard work as intended before the OS loads.

I just checked. The BT trackpad I use works fine in the boot picker.

 

[mattspace]

As a followup - I'm astounded by how much better the bluetooth is now I've removed one connected section from the cable.

So before I had WIFI/BT module plugged into the original BT extender "ex1" to get across to the original BT aerial, then a wire from the end of that extender to the PCI plate "ex2", then the external aerial with its cable plugged to the PCI plate "ex3".

In attempting to disconnect ex1 from ex2 (those tiny little connectors ) the one on the end of ex1 just popped off the end of the wire, as the solder disintegrated. In for a penny, in for a pound, I disconnected the WIFI/BT module, disconnected the remains of ex1 from it, and connected ex2 directly.

Whereas before I could barely walk more than a couple of metres from my machine without my Beats Flex cutting out, now I can walk down stairs to the floor below, and bluetooth keeps playing - so it has roughly equivalent performance to my OG iPhone SE.

So, a good result overall.

 

[mode11]

Inspired by the conversation here, I replaced my external antenna stand with 3m cable, with one that has a shorter 0.5m cable. The base magnet also seems a lot stronger, and allowed better placement on the metal frame under my desk. It seems Monterey has removed the BT RSSI readout from the BT menu, but informally reception seems better. I've had no issues since, with the antenna practically pointing at my keyboard through the desk. Having a full mug of coffee on the desk often seemed to interfere with / absorb the radio waves before.

Thanks @fatespawn for checking out the Fenvi card in the boot menus. Good to know this would be a reliable option. My 6600XT is a 2.2 slot card, though, so don't think it would fit. My BT antenna's socket is mounted in a PCIe slot cover there, which works out well really.