USB Bluetooth adapter stops working after 10.8.5 upgrade

I'll give it a go, thanks for the suggestion. I'm about half way through downloading the FULL OS X 10.8.5 installer (4.5GB) which I will save and do a clean install if re-enabling the internal BT doesn't work.

So I tried it. No dice. Mac Booted up with a supported BT connection (the internal one), but as soon as I plugged in my dongle, the bluetooth icon in t he menu bar became disabled like the original poster. So frustrated right now!

EDIT - oh and I downloaded the full OS X installer only to find the img file was corrupted.

Don't bother with Full Install, I tried it myself without any much luck regarding Bluetooth...

My BT Adapter is still not recognized by OS X...

No trace of BT in System Info, and no Bluetooth Icon in Menu Bar...

If I rollback IOBluetoothFamily.kext from 10.8.4, I get BT in System Info and in Menu Bar, but my devices cannot pair with the adapter... 😟

I also tried to rollback the following KEXT along with 10.8.4 IOBluetoothFamily.kext:

• IOBluetoothHIDDriver.kext
• IOUSBFamiliy.kext

Why that? Because IOBluetoothHIDDriver also changed with 10.8.5, and because I noticed some slight changes within the USB configuration shown by System Info, so I wanted to clear that out...

I'm getting much frustrated here 😟

BT Adapter: Belkin F8T065bf, Broadcom 2070 Chipset (maybe it's some revision "2A", cause System Info says 20702A...)

YMMV, but a full install solved the problem for me and my IOGear GBU521 dongle / early 2009 Mac Pro. I did a repair permissions beforehand, but there were no obvious BT-related files affected. Did you have your BT dongle plugged in while you installed? I don't know if it would make any difference, but I kept my BT adapter plugged in while I did the install.

My IOGear GBU521 adapter says the chipset is 20702A1, firmware version v14 c4096.

Yes, because you have a BT adapter which is recognized Out Of The Box by OS X , without any plist editing needed, that's why it works on your Mac.

Mine isn't in the original KEXT and I need editing it, in order to get OS X to load the KEXT at boot, when encountering the right VendorID / ProductID couple, when parsing all USB devices attached.

But with 10.8.5, and Broadcom 20702A it simply doesn't... I really would like to know why...

...moreover knowing that the chipset used is the **** SAME as the IOGEAR one (only a matter of revision, so basically, they are the same when sepaking of "exchanging datas" with the device)

Edit: Ok, so, it's not even a revision problem, as I wrote a wrong Broadcom reference which actually is BCM20702A0, so strictly the same as the IOGear one...

This what my System Info looks like when using my BT Adapter with OS X 10.8.4, and an edited Info.plist within IOBluetoothFamily.kext/contents/plugins/Broadcom...kext/contents/

And, BT info:

But when I do the SAME EXACT thing after having installed OS X 10.8.5 update (can be MAS update, Combo update, or Full 10.8.5 Install), then System Profiler doesn't show anything in Bluetooth.

I checked the VendorID and ProductID to assure myself that couldn't have changend (yes I know... 🙂)

The only diffrent thing I can see between 10.8.4 and 10.8.5 is that something changed in my USB config, as the way ports are enumered.

Now, if I try to use the 10.8.4 modified IOBluetoothFamily.kext wiith 10.8.5, System Info DOES show something in Bluetooth, BUT I can't pair any device with it 😟

So the only solution left would be to buy another BT Adapter which is fully supported by OS X Out Of The Box...

Begs the question - which BT adapter DOES work out of the box? Looks like I need to buy a FOURTH dongle...

Depends on what you want.

If a BT 4.0 is mandatory for you, go for the IOGear 4.0 BT which is easily available in the US (for us european, it's another story 😟)

If BT 2.0 is possible for you, then you have to check what adapter is fully supported OOTB, as I don't know them, I interested myself only in 4.0 BT USB Adapters...

I think I will go for a 2.0 BT USB Adapter with the capability of being able to use a BT keyboard in BIOS (for my Windows rig 🙂)

Scott, it seems, that you only disconnected the antenna cables from the internal Bluetooth module, right?

If this is the case, could you then try to remove the entire Apple bluetooth module from the logicboard?

Even, if it is installed on the logicboard, I'm quite sure, that it is also an USB device and I think, that your problem might be, that the internal bluetooth module is recognized on the USB before your external USB dongle becomes active. AFAIK Mac OS X can only handle one Bluetooth host adapter at a time and the internal one might have a higher priority for the OS, so as soon as the internal one becomes active all other Bluetooth adapters simply become inactive.

This might be different in OS X up to 10.8.4.

I removed my Apple CSR module (PN 820-1696-A) from the logicboard and have no problems with 10.8.5 since I patched the Broadcom file as written earlier in this thread.

If your Apple Bluetooth board is CSR based, then it could also be solution to simply remove the CSR drivers from the Bluetooth kext, to disable it as a bluetooth device. (make a backup of the original kext first and get USB keyboard and mouse ready for emergency).

Hi everyone, I tried to do all the modifications suggested in the thread with no luck:

My USB adapter is a Sitecom 2.1 CN-516 and it shows on system information as:

Apple Bluetooth Software Version: 4.1.7f2 12718

Hardware Settings:

Address: 00-09-DD-50-8E-22

Manufacturer: Cambridge Silicon Radio

Name: BT2.0

Chipset: Unknown (0)

Firmware Version: 5276

Bluetooth Power: On

Discoverable: Off

Connectable: Yes

Remote wake: On

Vendor ID: 0x0A12

Product ID: 0x0001

HCI Version: 0x4

HCI Revision: 0x149C

LMP Version: 0x4

LMP Subversion: 0x149C

Device Type (Major): Miscellaneous

Device Type (Complete): Miscellaneous

Composite Class Of Device: 0x0000

Device Class (Major): 0x00

Device Class (Minor): 0x00

Service Class: 0x00

Services:

Bluetooth File Transfer:

Folder other devices can browse: ~/Public

When receiving items: Prompt for each file

State: Disabled

Bluetooth File Exchange:

Folder for accepted items: ~/Downloads

When other items are accepted: Ask

When receiving items: Prompt for each file

State: Disabled

Bluetooth Internet Sharing:

State: Disabled

Incoming Serial Ports:

Bluetooth-Serial-1:

RFCOMM Channel: 4

Requires Authentication: No

Bluetooth-Serial-2:

RFCOMM Channel: 2

Requires Authentication: No

Bluetooth-PDA-Sync:

RFCOMM Channel: 5

Requires Authentication: No

Outgoing Serial Ports:

Bluetooth-Modem:

Address:

RFCOMM Channel: 0

Requires Authentication: No

BT2.0:

Product ID: 0x0001

Vendor ID: 0x0a12 (Cambridge Silicon Radio Ltd.)

Version: 52.76

Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec

Location ID: 0x1d160000 / 3

Current Available (mA): 500

Current Required (mA): 0

The adapter is on (the blue led on it is flashing) but I can't de-activate it, nor find/link any device.
I've modified the kexts as suggested, adding the ProductID 1 and the VendorID 2578, repaired the disk permissions and flushed the cache but still nothing. Depending on the modification the bluetooth either pretends to work (it is on but can't connect/display any device) or it doesn't work at all.

This are the code lines that I added to the file

/System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/BroadcomBluet oothHostControllerUSBTransport.kext/Contents/Info.plist

<key>BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController_Dongle - IOGear2</key>

<dict>

<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>

<string>com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOClass</key>

<string>BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOProviderClass</key>

<string>IOUSBDevice</string>

<key>idProduct</key>

<integer>1</integer>

<key>idVendor</key>

<integer>2578</integer>

</dict>

<key>CSRUSBBluetoothHCIController</key>

<dict>

<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>

<string>com.apple.iokit.CSRBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOClass</key>

<string>CSRBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOProviderClass</key>

<string>IOUSBDevice</string>

<key>idProduct</key>

<integer>1</integer>

<key>idVendor</key>

<integer>2578</integer>

</dict>

<key>Microsoft Bluetooth 2.0 USB Dongle</key>

<dict>

<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>

<string>com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOClass</key>

<string>BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOProviderClass</key>

<string>IOUSBDevice</string>

<key>idProduct</key>

<integer>1</integer>

<key>idVendor</key>

<integer>2578</integer>

</dict>

Any suggestion?

Thank you very much

***Edit: The kext file names in the @Peaz2.0 article linked below are outdated for 10.8.5. Use the ones that jf@format.de has in his post above. Pasted here as well: /System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/BroadcomBluet oothHostControllerUSBTransport.kext/Contents/Info.plist ******

Thanks jf@format.de & AwwwPuddin.

I did this a few months ago when I added my Targus Bluetooth 4.0 adapter to my MacPro 3.1 running Mountain Lion. After upgrading to the latest release of ML 910.8.5), my bluetooth adapter stopped working.

Here's my BT adapter details:

BCM20702A0:

Product ID: 0x21e8

Vendor ID: 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.)

Version: 1.12

Serial Number: 00190E114898

Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec

Manufacturer: Broadcom Corp

Location ID: 0xfd310000 / 12

Current Available (mA): 500

Current Required (mA): 0

I used the detailed information here: http://www.atpeaz.com/index.php/2012/using-unsupported-bluetooth-4-0-usb-dongle- with-os-x/, because it matched my setup perfectly - minus a different product ID.

Here's the updated entry that I used to get my Targus up and running again:

<key>BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController2 - Targus</key>

<dict>

<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>

<string>com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOClass</key>

<string>BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOProviderClass</key>

<string>IOUSBDevice</string>

<key>idProduct</key>

<integer>8680</integer>

<key>idVendor</key>

<integer>2652</integer>

</dict>

Note that I already had a BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController - Targus in the kext, so I just added the number 2 to differentiate the entries.

All I had to do was use my idProduct Integer value of 8680 and I was good to go after a reboot. I used http://easycalculation.com/hex-converter.php to do my conversion.

I also used the Kext Utility that is referenced in the above link (http://cvad-mac.narod2.ru/Kext_Utility/) and had no issues with the new adapter being recognized after a reboot.

Your Bluetooth adapter seems to be based on a Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) chipset.

So it was not a good idea to patch the Broadcom kext file. You'll need to remove your patch from the Info.plist in the Broadcom kext and then add your device to the CSR kext Info.plist instead. Hope this helps.

Hi all,

got my OSX updated from 10.8.4 to 10.8.5 and i lost Bluetooth - Belkin Dongle F8T012xx1 USB

Vendor=050d ProdID=0121 Rev= 4.13

Thanks to this post, i was able to fix my BT by patching IOBluetoothFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTrans port.kext/Contents/Info.plist

<key>BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController - Belkin</key>

<dict>

<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>

<string>com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransp ort</string>

<key>IOClass</key>

<string>BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport</string>

<key>IOProviderClass</key>

<string>IOUSBDevice</string>

<key>idProduct</key>

<integer>289</integer>

<key>idVendor</key>

<integer>1293</integer>

</dict>

Thank you 🙂

That was my thought as well, but before opening the Broadcom kext, I found that that the CSR kext already has the correct entry (and there wasn't much I could do there). I have made a backup copy of all the files and I'm able to restore them whenever I want anyway. What puzzles me is how is possible that a patch (thought to fix some issues and improve the user experience, along with other things) actually manages to break things that were working perfectly previously. From now on I'll think twice before updating my Mac OSX.

I'll keep looking/trying and I'll post the solution (if I'll ever find it) as soon as I manage to fix the problem.