Continuity and Handoff Capable Apple Mini Cards + PCIe and mini-PCIe Adapters

[trs96]

The Fenvi FV-T919 I can confirm working (wifi and BT) in Yosemite and El Capitan. Haven't tried Sierra yet. Others report it working. Has to be installed in a PCI-e x1 slot. So not a good choice for mini-itx motherboards obviously. mATX and ATX no problems. The iMac 14,2 sysdef is probably the best choice to get everything working. This includes an iMac wifi/BT card.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLG51U/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[AlphaFox]

My card also did work in El cap but 10.12.1 broke handoff. let us know if it works after you upgrade but I don't think anyone has it working.

 

[ThunderDome]

Pardon my denseness, but what do you mean when you say 'make sure your motherboard is fully bluetooth powered'? Does that mean it needs to be equipped with bluetooth? I'm about to start my first build, and am stuck with a server motherboard because I need dual Xeons, and don't believe that any of them have bluetooth, but I'd really like to find a way to make this feature work.

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Yosemite's new Handoff and Continuity features are pretty amazing. This includes making phone calls, picking up where you left off in apps on other Apple devices seamlessly. Unfortunately even the latest USB Bluetooth 4.0 dongles aren't working at all with this feature. Fortunately there are solutions available that make these features work 100%.

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The best way to get Handoff and Continuity features activated is using a native Apple mini networking card from a real 2013/2014 Mac with a specially modified PCIe or mini-PCIe Adapter. I've put a few of these together, and confirm that they work really well. Check out my album below:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/members/tonymacx86/albums/handoff-phone-call-yosemite/

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The first one I made was using an older MacBook Air card with the PCIe adapter. It connects both to PCIe slot and to USB hub on the motherboard. The MacBook card only had 2 antenna pins which were too small and too few for the 4 antenna PCIe adapter. I ended up ordering a iMac card which fit perfectly with PCIe adapter's 4 antenna pins. Both cards work fine with the mini-PCIe adapter as well- however you need to make sure your motherboard (I used an ITX with built in mini-PCIe slot) is fully bluetooth powered. If I were to do it again, I'd get the iMac card first, but both cards are identical Broadcom chipsets.

Search BCM94360CD BCM94331CD Apple WIFI/Bluetooth Cards and Adapters on Amazon​

The following screenshots show how the card shows up on a CustoMac. It's a fully native Broadcom BCM43xx wifi with BRCM20702 Bluetooth USB hub.

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View attachment 112144You can find the adapters and cards readily available on Amazon or eBay, usually shipping from China. This method provides the best cost savings- I was able to make a full unit for under $50. In addition the website osxwifi.com sells the full package- no assembly required. This method costs extra because of the convenience and assurance that the right parts are ordered.

Continuity Activation Tool is an open source script to get Continuity working with some older Macs built in Bluetooth module- this could also work with some Bluetooth 3.0 cards. Check out Github for the latest download of Continuity Activation Tool. Unfortunately this doesn't enable 3rd party USB Bluetooth devices though such as the IOGear Bluetooth dongle. EDIT: Continuity Activation Tool 2.0 works with some Bluetooth 4.0 USB dongles.

If you've ordered or enabled a specific card or adapter, this thread is to list all working and functional WIFI/BT adapters which work with Handoff and Continuity features in OS X Yosemite.

Please provide as much detail as possible including model numbers, photos, and screenshots when listing your card and adapter. Thanks!

 

[AlphaFox]

Pardon my denseness, but what do you mean when you say 'make sure your motherboard is fully bluetooth powered'? Does that mean it needs to be equipped with bluetooth? I'm about to start my first build, and am stuck with a server motherboard because I need dual Xeons, and don't believe that any of them have bluetooth, but I'd really like to find a way to make this feature work.

the bluetooth board needs to be plugged into the motherboard USB header for it to work. there should be a lead on the wifi / bluetooth card that needs to be attached.

 

[HaxMan]

The Fenvi FV-T919 I can confirm working (wifi and BT) in Yosemite and El Capitan. Haven't tried Sierra yet. Others report it working. Has to be installed in a PCI-e x1 slot. So not a good choice for mini-itx motherboards obviously. mATX and ATX no problems. The iMac 14,2 sysdef is probably the best choice to get everything working. This includes an iMac wifi/BT card.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLG51U/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Can you think of any reason that this card wouldn't work on Asus MBs? Considering picking one up for a friends build.

Edit: Only asking because all of the success stories I'm hearing regarding this card have been on Gigabyte boards.

 

[trs96]

Can you think of any reason that this card wouldn't work on Asus MBs? Considering picking one up for a friends build.

Edit: Only asking because all of the success stories I'm hearing regarding this card have been on Gigabyte boards.

I've only used them on GA boards but don't see any reason why Asus wouldn't work. Some have them working on Dell and HP motherboards.

 

[lokicat]

Hi All,

Got the Fenvi card from amazon and it works fine - both wifi and BT. In system report, it does show hand-off support. Running the activation tool diagnostic, the one "Not Good" is that my board-ID is not 12 or 20 characters. I generated the random board-ID in clover for Mac Pro 6,1 and its is 20 characters if I include the "MAC-" or 16 characters if I don't. Anyone else have a 6,1 definition and can help? I'm afraid to change this because iMessage and FaceTime all work fine.

Thanks

 

[AlphaFox]

shouldn't matter

 

[Scott1204]

The Fenvi FV-T919 I can confirm working (wifi and BT) in Yosemite and El Capitan. Haven't tried Sierra yet. Others report it working. Has to be installed in a PCI-e x1 slot. So not a good choice for mini-itx motherboards obviously. mATX and ATX no problems. The iMac 14,2 sysdef is probably the best choice to get everything working. This includes an iMac wifi/BT card.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLG51U/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Using the Fenvi T919 card as well in Sierra on a fresh install and it seems to work. Handoff is functioning. But am having troubles keeping a Magic Mouse and Apple Keyboard connected...keeps saying connection dropped then a few second later they reconnect. Wifi has been normal.

Any suggestions for troubleshooting?

 

[trs96]

Using the Fenvi T919 card as well in Sierra on a fresh install and it seems to work. Handoff is functioning. But am having troubles keeping a Magic Mouse and Apple Keyboard connected...keeps saying connection dropped then a few second later they reconnect. Wifi has been normal.

Any suggestions for troubleshooting?

When the card is in a x4 or x16 slot BT often doesn't work but everything else does. Also check that the USB 2 cable is connected and the header is working on the motherboard. Just a few ideas to check out.