June 19, 2014
Bluetooth LE Adapters Do Enable OS X Yosemite’s ‘Handoff’ on Older Macs
Sometimes macrumors aren’t completely right
Bluetooth LE Adapters Don’t Enable OS X Yosemite’s ‘Handoff’ on Older Macs
My 2008 MacPro (so old) has a wifi card from some new imacs/mbp installed with adapter to mini-pcie slot. It gives me 802.11ac AND bluetooth 4.0, no need to remove old bt card, as new one is preferred over old one.
Continuity is supported:
P.S. got this nice things from MacVidCards.
Comments(26)
Hey this is cool, would you mind sharing the specific type of the card? Or even better, a link to it? Thanks!
I think the card is this model: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-BCM94360CD-802-11ac-Wifi-Bluetooth-4-0-Card-for-2013-21-5-27-iMac-/111382033777?pt=US_Internal_Network_Cards&hash=item19eee2f571 However, it looks like it requires some sort of adapter card (the card underneath) that I can’t make out.
Thanks Netkas, this offers a lifeline to those clinging to our very capable still 2008 mac pro’s. As Martin says any chance yourself or McVidCards could provide a link so that we may purchase something like this. Much appreciated.
+1
Jeff, right, it requires adapter to be able to work off mini-pcie port. I has no link for it tho.
Would this adapter necessary in mid 2011 iMacs?
Are the Wifi/BT4.0 cards from the newer Macs NGFF (aka M.2)? If so, it is easily converted to mini PCIe
Yes, please, where can we order that adapter? I’ve ordered today both the airport card, and the chinese taobao pci-e adapter for it. Now I see this, and it looks like a beautiful solution.
Any way we can convince you to pull it out and post better pics of it? Perhaps we can find a source for them. I’ve been scouring the internet myself, but it’s a fairly tough filter job when you don’t know what it’s called or who made it.
OK, before the stampede, lets get the caveats out there.
The reason I never saw this before Netkas found it is that i was told Mac MiniPCIE didn’t wire through to USB. So when i made the first one I didn’t solder the USB pins. The 2008 is my lab machine and I installed the soldered board in, so as predicted, no USB.
I then got some pre-made boards and put in 2009. I think we what have discovered is that 2009-12 MP don’t have the Mini-PCIE to USB while older ones do.
Likely that 2006 would work.
Oddly, I had to remove the bit-in module to make mine work. Both showed up but it preferred the built in until I removed it.
How about altering the design to come out to a usb mini-a port and we can simply run a cable from there out the back to a usb port? I think there’d be enough market to be worth a run. Disabling the 2012 bt is easy.
is that adapter used just a half mpcie to full pcie adapter? http://www.ebay.com/itm/M-2-NGFF-to-Mini-PCI-E-Adapter-Support-Full-Size-and-Half-Size-MPCIe-Slot-/161320350701?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258f7133ed That looks pretty close but different manufacturer
nevermind, I see that the taobao card I ordered comes with that exact adapter. It sounded like you built it Rominator.
[…] bien, parece ser que será posible, ya que un usuario de un Mac Pro de 2008 ha sido capaz de hacer funcionar Handoff en su equipo a través de la […]
Please! Let me know some details about the pcie adapter! I have a late 2008 MacBook Pro with Yosemite installed and I need absolutely to get Handoff working! Please!!!
Hi Guys!
Thanks for the info, I also have Mac Pro early 2008, is there any info on the adapter and would it really work? I wonder what happens to the Bluetooth that is on the board is it possible to remove it after upgrade??
Veri nice, if this way the “old” macbook pro can also handoff,
Hi again, any new information on the adapter 🙂
could this work???
http://www.delock.de/produkte/F_426_Module_65229/merkmale.html
Thanks
Please netkas help us MP 2008 users to upgrade, where can we buy the adapter???
Thanks for the help
Further research shows that this is a “non-standard” mini pci-e connector
http://archive.today/AKUWK
https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Broadcom_BCM94360CD
airdamien said: “nevermind, I see that the taobao card I ordered comes with that exact adapter.”
What card did you order? (link?)
Ok well I jumped out there and ordered the linked airport card and the linked adapter card that are in the comments. I have a kid 2007 20″ iMac core 2 extreme. I will let you guys know if it works!
I just bought both items that are linked in the comments. I have a mid ’07 iMac 20″ core 2 extreme. I’ll let you guys know if it works
Hi nandor690, did you order m2-ngff??
DO NOT BUY from the first link here (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-BCM94360CD-802-11ac-Wifi-Bluetooth-4-0-Card-for-2013-21-5-27-iMac-/111382033777?pt=US_Internal_Network_Cards&hash=item19eee2f571). that card is not right card. it’s not a genuine apple imac 2013 card. It is a BCM94360CD but god knows what machine it came from. It uses a BCM20702A0 bluetooth controller with following info
BCM20702A0:
Vendor ID: 0x0a5c (2652)–<–Broadcom
Product ID: 0x22be (8894)
Which is NOT supported by handoff or even OS X at all
A genuine imac 2013 card should have
BCM20702B0
Vendor ID: 0x05AC (1452)–<–Apple
Product ID: 0x828D (33421)
I'm still trying to return mine, I am ordering from a different seller now to ensure it is an apple tested and verified card that supports handoff. You can get the BCM20702A0 to work with hacking but working and supporting 10.10 handoff are two different things. Which is what this is about.
Has anyone found a supplier for just the adapter? (Mac Pro mini pci-e to BCM20702B0)
Hi again any news on m-2 adapter dose it work??