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

[UtterDisbelief]

Sorry if I've missed it, however is there a solution for the Gigabyte GA-H270N-WIFI in an ITX build? If it's been discussed elsewhere please let me know. Thanks!

Kenny

Hi there.

If you mean getting the onboard wi-fi to work natively, the answer is probably "no". You May need to change the wi-fi/BT chip. I had a Gigabyte 200-series ITX board for a while and it used the Intel wi-fi chipset. This isn't yet supported on macOS and I had to change it for a Broadcom model fitted in an adapter, to fit the motherboard riser socket.

There's a lot of guidance hereabouts on what's needed. I got an adapter from eBay (took about a month to arrive though) but my Broadcom card was more local and only took a few days.

Here's someone who build a hackintosh on the same motherboard.

The Gigabyte board is a very compatible one.

 

[HitmanKB]

Hey UtterDisbelief, thanks for the reply. I was referring to fact that almost all itx boards only have 1 pcie slot so the solution in the first post on here wouldn't work. So I was asking if there was another solution for itx builds. After some digging, I found that the Broadcom BCM94352Z NGFF Dual Band 802.11ac 867M Wifi BT 4.0 is what itx hackintosh builders have been using and from what I can see everything works with this card (WiFi, BT, continuity) as the drivers are natively supported within osx.. and they seem pretty cheap, 20-30 bucks. Also, from what I can see, they are m2 slotted adapter so its a direct replacement for the intel cards that are already in the slots.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Hey UtterDisbelief, thanks for the reply. I was referring to fact that almost all itx boards only have 1 pcie slot so the solution in the first post on here wouldn't work. So I was asking if there was another solution for itx builds. After some digging, I found that the Broadcom BCM94352Z NGFF Dual Band 802.11ac 867M Wifi BT 4.0 is what itx hackintosh builders have been using and from what I can see everything works with this card (WiFi, BT, continuity) as the drivers are natively supported within osx.. and they seem pretty cheap, 20-30 bucks. Also, from what I can see, they are m2 slotted adapter so its a direct replacement for the intel cards that are already in the slots.

Sounds like you have it sorted!

Yes, I guess it's what you can find to hand. The original Apple-fitted items need adapters (like mine) and a lot of people use them in ITX boards. I did for a very short time. But if you've found a Broadcom-based card that fits without an adapter, it sounds a better solution. It's more compact. Only small problem I had was that the ITX backplate only had two aerial connectors, whereas my Apple card has three. From what I've seen of your card it only requires two though, so everything should be neat.

Out of interest I did try a PCIe wireless card in the only PCIe slot and despite it being a X16 version designed for GPUs, the wifi card worked fine.

 

[djcoma]

I just bought this Broadcom BCM94360CD 802.11ac WiFi card+Bluetooth 4.0 off eBay.

Does the following PCI-E adapter look like a good pairing for it?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BCM94360CD...pter-for-hackintosh-and-PC-DZ001/232604195708

Thanks in advance!

 

[zzmadd]

I just ordered this one: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00MBP25UK/?tag=tonymacx8603-21. The price is good, 45 EUR.

The adapter seems to be fitted with a BCM943602CS card instead of the beloved BCM94360CD but is reported to work. I will try and report my findings here.

Does your build suffer from Instant Wake?
I used this card in a build and unless the USB plug was connected directly to the internal USB2 header the card would prevent the machine to sleep showing Instant Wake issues.
This way if the case has a USB2 port an Internal USB2 Hub, WOULD NOT WORK, as the WiFi+BT card plugged into it would suffer from Instant Wake. Hence you have to connect the case USB2 ports, in case you have them, through another header/system leaving the internal header just for the WiFi+BT card.
Thanks.

 

[alexdan]

Hi guys,

First of all I want to say how grateful I am that this community exists, thanks all for your great contribution. Got the latest Mac Pro from work and built my first Hackintosh at home late yesterday, which was pretty easy to set up. I used Unibeast and Multibeast (High Sierra 10.13.3). My motherboard is GIGABYTE Z370M D3H, DDR4, Intel Z370 - and wanted to ask if there's anyway I can make wifi and bluetooth work with my current hardware, can anyone help please?

Best,
Alex

 

[Allectus]

I just installed a Gigabyte Z370N Wifi based system with a 960 EVO in the top M.2 slot and a GTX 1060. I'm trying to figure out the best and easiest method for getting Wifi(ac) and BT to work. I would prefer something that functions out of the box. Here are the options as I see them:

1. Use a card in the bottom M.2 drive. I think an adapter would make it too thick.
2. Swap out the Intel Wifi/BT half mini with a Broadcom half mini. Getting the right kexts in the right place is a bit daunting for me, but I'm learning.
3. Get a USB Wifi adapter and install the drivers.

What is the best solution in your collective opinion?

V/R
Allectus

 

[alexdan]

hey @Allectus ,

I just bought this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MBP25UK/?tag=tonymacx86-21 - can let you know if it works out of the box on Friday if you're interested.

 

[HitmanKB]

I just installed a Gigabyte Z370N Wifi based system with a 960 EVO in the top M.2 slot and a GTX 1060. I'm trying to figure out the best and easiest method for getting Wifi(ac) and BT to work. I would prefer something that functions out of the box. Here are the options as I see them:

1. Use a card in the bottom M.2 drive. I think an adapter would make it too thick.
2. Swap out the Intel Wifi/BT half mini with a Broadcom half mini. Getting the right kexts in the right place is a bit daunting for me, but I'm learning.
3. Get a USB Wifi adapter and install the drivers.

What is the best solution in your collective opinion?

V/R
Allectus

The itx board right?

 

[Allectus]

The itx board right?

Yes. The ITX board. The Buyers' Guide just moved it from the "Early Adopters" to the recommended board for the CustoMac Mini and Deluxe.

Of course I am still researching at this time. One of the threads talks about the BCM94360CS2 Mini PCI-E adapter combo. Some have had success with this.

Allectus