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M.2 wireless cards?


bchan
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There is another one with a very similar ID to the BCM94352Z (can't remember it now). It's on a list floating around the internet by applelife.ru somewhere. It can only be obtained through Lenovo spare parts for a certain device or off a Chinese distributor (be careful with these guys, they might lie about supplies!). Unfortunately this card has half the speed of the BCM94352Z. I haven't seen any confirmation of it working on OS X. Someone on a certain other forum has bought one but I haven't seen if he's received it yet.

 

The BCM94352Z does pop up on eBay from time to time. I kept checking daily and managed to snag one for $80 (expensive!). That's probably your best bet for an OS X compatible NGFF M.2 card right now (again, stay away from aliexpress etc, I've had 'confirmation' from a German seller that they are lying about supply numbers, the BCM94352Z is an engineering sample and only about 100 were originally made)

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The list alex is referring to is at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Arr23WYNror4dHNPbUVyakY5THExY0tNbU5hR2xaR1E&gid=1

 

Sofar only the BCM94352Z is relatively available, its a 2x2 866mbit card.

Note however this card is only E key! This means it does not fit in all laptops.

Its fully compatible with OS X for both WiFi and Bluetooth (FakePCIID and BrcmPatchRAM required).

Also it supports handoff and continuity (clover patch required).

 

I have heard of one person being able to order the BCM943162ZP which is A+E key.

But as mentioned its 1x1 and thus 433mbit maximum. He has not received it yet, but lets see if it works in OS X once he does.

 

The BCM94356Z is the one to look out for, its 1 year newer, key A+E and has Bluetooth 4.1

However no-one has gotten their hands on it yet, so its untested with OS X.

 

Watch your laptop white-listing though! Not all laptops support all cards.

The BCM94352Z is not slowly coming available through other manufacturers such as Lenovo.

Also the new Dell XPS 9343 has the Dell DW1560 NGFF card which is a BCM94352Z.

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The list alex is referring to is at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Arr23WYNror4dHNPbUVyakY5THExY0tNbU5hR2xaR1E&gid=1

 

Sofar only the BCM94352Z is relatively available, its a 2x2 866mbit card.

Note however this card is only E key! This means it does not fit in all laptops.

Its fully compatible with OS X for both WiFi and Bluetooth (FakePCIID and BrcmPatchRAM required).

Also it supports handoff and continuity (clover patch required).

 

I have heard of one person being able to order the BCM943162ZP which is A+E key.

But as mentioned its 1x1 and thus 433mbit maximum. He has not received it yet, but lets see if it works in OS X once he does.

 

The BCM94356Z is the one to look out for, its 1 year newer, key A+E and has Bluetooth 4.1

However no-one has gotten their hands on it yet, so its untested with OS X.

 

Watch your laptop white-listing though! Not all laptops support all cards.

The BCM94352Z is not slowly coming available through other manufacturers such as Lenovo.

Also the new Dell XPS 9343 has the Dell DW1560 NGFF card which is a BCM94352Z.

I contacted dell for the DW1560 it is not available at the moment as a spare part and is priced at $18.99

I wonder if the supplies will open up in a couple of months

 

another part number for the same DW1560 is 06XRYC

 

Please post here if you find an alternate route than eBay $80 

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Other NGFF cards you could check on are:

BCM4352, 866 mbps, supported in OS X:

  • Dell DW1560 4352+20702 M.2 (Dell part no 06XRYC, list price $18.99)
  • HP Rapture 4352Z NGFF combo

BCM41362, 433 mbps, support unknown but likely:

  • HP Blackbird 43162 NGFF
  • Lenovo 43162 NGFF combo module

BCM4356, 866 mbps, support unknown but likely:

  • Acer Foxconn BCM4356A2 NGFF
  • Acer LiteOn BCM4356A2 NGFF
  • Asus LiteOn BCM4356A2 NGFF
  • Asus AzureWave BCM4356A2 NGFF
  • Lenovo 4356 NGFF combo

BCM43142Y (Not supported in OS X):

  • Acer BCM943142Y NGFF (Not supported in OS X)
  • HP Hornet 43142Y NGFF combo

BCM43228 (Not supported in OS X)

  • Acer 43228 NGFF combo module
  • HP Luffy 43228 + 20702 M.2

Lets see what other prices and availability can be obtained and update it here.

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Darkvoid, how can I tell what kind of NGFF card my laptop has? It comes with an Intel AC3160. How do I check dimensions of these cards and if they are A+K?

 

Where can I find DW1560?

 

IF nothing now, is there a nano wifi dongle that will be detected as airport?

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Darkvoid, how can I tell what kind of NGFF card my laptop has? It comes with an Intel AC3160. How do I check dimensions of these cards and if they are A+K?

 

Where can I find DW1560?

 

IF nothing now, is there a nano wifi dongle that will be detected as airport?

 

Check the model number on the card:

  • Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160
    • 3160 HMW 802.11ac, 1x1, Bluetooth 4.0, PCIe, USB, HMC
    • 3160 NGW 802.11ac, 1x1, Bluetooth 4.0, PCIe, USB, M.2 2230
    • 3160 SDW 802.11ac, 1x1, Bluetooth 4.0, PCIe, USB, M.2 2226 Solder Down

DW1560 is not available yet. But you can find a generic BMC94352Z around for between $60 to $80.

 

No, there is no nano USB which behaves like a native airport.

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I ordered a BCM4352 card purely based on part number from a part store. I will be getting it tomorrow.

Its $33 including shipping + tax

 

Broadcom BCM94352Z

 

I will post the link once I confirm its the right card. They claim limited quantities available.

 

 

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I ordered a BCM4352 card purely based on part number from a part store. I will be getting it tomorrow.

Its $33 including shipping + tax

 

Broadcom BCM94352Z

 

I will post the link once I confirm its the right card. They claim limited quantities available.

 

If thats indeed the chipset you got a good deal. I am still looking for BCM4356 based cards.

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I ordered a BCM4352 card purely based on part number from a part store. I will be getting it tomorrow.

Its $33 including shipping + tax

 

Broadcom BCM94352Z

 

I will post the link once I confirm its the right card. They claim limited quantities available.

Are you sure its the right size? I got this in amazon for the same price but I don't think its NGFF

http://www.amazon.com/Azurewave-AW-CE123H-802-11ac-Broadcom-Bluetooth/dp/B00HRFS1GQ

 

It mounts into a PCIe slot, not a M.2 slot. So, not directly, you would need an adaptor. Those are not commonly found yet, usually the adaptors are for mounting M.2 cards into PCIe slots.

 

darkvoid, do you suggest any cheap nano wifi connectors for yosemite? any ones that you can trick are airport cards or work without an app?

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darkvoid, do you suggest any cheap nano wifi connectors for yosemite? any ones that you can trick are airport cards or work without an app?

 

All USB WiFi adapters I have seen require a 3rd party app, none of them work natively.

Additionally using an USB WiFi adapter will not give you hand-off and continuity.

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I got the card and it appears to be the right card

 

I have not installed it yet

 

I will post pictures later today

 

 

https://www.partstore.com/Part/Lenovo/Lenovo/20200480/Refurbished.aspx

Here is a picture

Looks right! Has a different amount of pins to the one I have but looks like it should work anyway. Shame they only ship to US destinations because that's a great price.

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