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

[InsaneCultist]

Its the BCM94352Z NGFF M.2 Combo WiFi (802.11ac) / Bluetooth (4.0/LE) module.
This is the default OS X comaptible replacement in laptops which come with the Intel AC-7260 M.2 WiFi which is not supported in OS X.

Take note of my earlier post though that both these cards use PCIe for WiFi and USB for Bluetooth.
If your motherboard only supports SD-IO neither will work (Unlikely scenario for a desktop motherboard though), but double check to be sure. If Intel AC-7260 (Much more common) is listed as compatible the BCM94352Z is also.

I'm using mine in a Dell XPS 9530 laptop. You only need a patch to have it recognized as Airport Extreme, otherwise it functions as 3rd party WiFi out of the box.

See here for the patch:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/network/104850-guide-airport-pcie-half-mini-v2.html

The bluetooth needs the bluetooth firmware uploader and the hand-off enabling patch.

I purchased it from here: http://www.amazon.com/BCM94352Z-NGFF-WiFi-Bluetooth-802-11ac/dp/B00JGFA50U

Footnote: Windows 8.x supports WiFi and Bluetooth out of the box, on Linux (Ubuntu) you will need to update the Broadcomm drivers.

Interesting. I'll do a bit more research. I think this is alright, but since my platform is so new, I'm not sure how many have attempted (if any.) Thanks for the help.
-IC

 

[minihack]

Bluetooth 3 is missing many of the features that are required for Handoff et al to work, so have fun.

I know. This though makes me question the validity of the patch.....
I have several different cards, including a bcm4352 (which of course has bt4 and is the one I am actually using for my build). I only put in the Bt 3 card to see what the patch would return.
My problem at the moment is actually getting any card (and I am focusing on the bcm4352) to actually work and do a proper test with. My testing materials don't unfortunately include a iPhone 5 or 6, so I am limited to my MBA and hack on Yosemite and my iPad Mini 3 on iOS 8.1.
I believe I am logged into the same iCloud account on all, but getting things to actually work seems to be a bit clunky. Must be doing something wrong....l

 

[lisai9093]

Most 3rd party bluetooth sticks will support Bluetooth 4.0 / LE (visible through LMP version 0x06 or higher)

Bluetooth functionality itself can be enabled using Bluetooth Firmware Uploader (Search on Google).

However through system profiler bluetooth they do not show support for Instant Hotspot / Hand-off.

If thats the case, try the following patch to modify the feature flags on the bluetooth module and enable Instant Hotspot and Hand-off.

View attachment 112286

For Clover:

<dict>
    <key>Comment</key>
    <string>IOBluetoothFamily - Continuity &amp; Hand-off</string>
    <key>Find</key>
    <data>
    i4eMAQAA
    </data>
    <key>Name</key>
    <string>IOBluetoothFamily</string>
    <key>Replace</key>
    <data>
    uA8AAACQ
    </data>
</dict>

Direct binary patch (Non-Clover users):

# Patch IOBluetoothFamily for Instant Hotspot / Hand-off
sudo perl -i.bak -pe 's|\x8B\x87\x8C\x01\x00\x00|\xB8\x0F\x00\x00\x00\x90​|sg' /System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothFamily.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOBluetoothFamily

Credits for this patch go to Doktordok, however due to forum rules I cannot directly link to the source.

Note do not forget to enable kernel flag kext-dev-mode=1 to allow loading unsigned kexts if not enabled already.

The terminal command does not work properly on my machine. Clover patch does work.

 

[maxafari]

Why are these not in the "Buyer's Guide" ?

 

[defbref]

Why are these not in the "Buyer's Guide" ?

Why! People are impatient!!

This thread started 5 days ago, I'm sure they will be added to the November Guide when it comes out shortly.

 

[MrPizza]

however you need to make sure your motherboard (I used an ITX with built in mini-PCIe slot) is fully bluetooth powered.

What does that mean? Do I have to have a mainboard with built-in bluetooth? If yes, would the combination of AirPort card and bluetooth USB dongle work as well?

 

[theshiv]

I'm hoping someone here can help. I purchased via eBay the following:

- PCI E Adapter
- Apple Broadcom BCM94360CD

I put them into my hack running Yosemite and identified as a Mac Pro Early 2008.

AirDrop is working between my Hack and my iPhone.
Phone calls can be made with FaceTime via my iPhone.

Handoff is not working. On my iPhone I have shut off BlueTooth and turned it back on, I have restarted my computer a few times (I can't shut off BlueTooth on my hack because of the Mighty Mouse), and I have signed out and back into my iCloud account on both my hack and iPhone.

From what I can tell everything looks good:




Anyone have any thoughts on what's going on?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gordo74]

BIG NEWS:

Per this thread:

http://www.******.com/r/apple/comments/2m2dts/beta_testers_wanted_enable_continuity_with_a_usb/

Continuity is being worked on for BT4 USB dongles, including the GYMLE!

 

[minihack]

BIG NEWS:

Per this thread:

http://www.******.com/r/apple/comments/2m2dts/beta_testers_wanted_enable_continuity_with_a_usb/

Continuity is being worked on for BT4 USB dongles, including the GYMLE!

Good news indeed - I have one on order now for testing...

 

[cicciopanzo]

Clover patch not working for me with:
- IOGEAR Bluetooth 4.0 USB Micro Adapter (GBU521)
- TP-LINK TL-WDN4800
- iMac 13,2 definition

as you can see: