This is a great solution for a pervasive problem with Apple's Mac Pro systems through 2013. I have not tested the new "late 2013" rount tower model, but all of the previous designs (Mac Pro 1,1 through 5,1) have Bluetooth antennas on the bottom of the case resulting in very poor performance - especially with the Magic Mouse. This adapter solves the problem and upgrades BT to version 4.0 BT LTE.
The chip set is Broadcom, which is used by Apple. I think, starting with Mountain Lion the shipping kernel extension recognizes the chip and device, there is no extra driver software required. Previous versions required some editing of Info.plists.
I simply plugged mine into one of the USB inputs on the back of the Cinema display. Based on reports I read, in some cases the system will automatically select this devices over the built-in ones. In my case, I had to use the BlueTooth Explorer available as a developer tool to activate this device as the system BlueTooth Controller. I also needed to pair all my devices again. But now, there is no more lag.
Alas, it is not (yet?) recognized in Yosemite as a device suitable to allow hand off...
Comment after some use:
The device is not recognized during the EFI boot phase. This means that you have to use a USB connected keyboard for parameter reset, option boot device select, and entering the pass phrase for FileVault2. I always have a second USB keyboard connected, since this was also unreliable with the built-in controller. Otherwise, BlueTooth is now working great with Yosemite and Mavericks. I have not been able to get it to work properly with Snow Leopard even with an edited KEXT, but that configuration is not officially supported anyway. The controller is recognized, but I was unable to pair devices in a short test. I only use this for some old games requiring Rosetta.
| Wireless Type | Bluetooth |
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