Options for Wifi on the Gigabyte Z370N Wifi ITX

[dasboot5]

I have confirmed that the AX200 Intel works perfectly with the newest Kexts using Sonoma. Since Broadcom is only supported with OCLP. this is a better choice for a faster card. I replaced my Broadcom card with an NVME adapter that works in Ventura and then checked Intel AX210 and 9560 cards and they did not work properly, over the original 8260. I did not check a 9260..

 

[Edhawk]

The Intel AX210 WiFi (6) card works, I have tested it in Ventura & Sonoma. If you replace the Airportitlwm.kext from the Alpha v2.3.0 release, with the Stable release version from 2.2.0, specifically created for Ventura.

I am sure you know each version of macOS from High Sierra to Ventura has a specific/custom kext in the Stable v2.2.0 release. Using the wrong kext will cause issues/malfunctions.

The Intel 9560 and 9260 are both supported cards, again I used both of these cards in some old laptops. You just need to make sure you are using the correct kext for the version of macOS you are running.

I always use the ResetNvramEntry.efi driver each time I swap out a WiFi card, so the previous settings are cleared and the new card is correctly identified.

 

[dasboot5]

@Edhawk Will the stable 2.2.0 version work with Sonoma? Or must you use the Alpha only with Sonoma?

 

[Cosmix]

@Edhawk Will the stable 2.2.0 version work with Sonoma? Or must you use the Alpha only with Sonoma?

Hello,

Sonoma 14.3.1 and Intel AX 210 work well with :

Cheers

 

[Edhawk]

Will the stable 2.2.0 version work with Sonoma? Or must you use the Alpha only with Sonoma?

No, the Airportitlwm Stable 2.2.0 kext doesn't support Sonoma.

You must use the Alpha 2.3.0 Sonoma Airportitlwm.kext, if you are running Sonoma.

While it is still rated as Alpha and not Stable this kext works well for me. I have never noticed any difference using it compared to using either of the Ventura v2.2.0 or 2.3.0 kexts.

I have a few systems using Intel 210 and 200 WiFi-6 cards in Ventura and Sonoma. They all work as expected, given the Apple Continuity limitations.

 

[dasboot5]

@Edhawk I just updated my Z370N wifi ITX to 14.4 (with an AX210), and the installer Upgrade was completed but it would no longer make it to the desktop, it would kernel crash. I looked in the bios to disable the wifi and that is not an option on the board ethernet. So I booted from a Ventura flash without the Intel Wifi and Bluetooth Kexts and it made it to the desktop. So I disabled the Kexts that were working in 14.3 and rebooted and now it is completed using the installed bootloader, not the flash. This machine is an I9 9900T ES engineering sample which seemed to be totally stable with the Apple Broadcom card using an adapter when I had Ventura installed, But this changeout to Intel cards has been a nightmare as only the 8960 has been stable and I have tried 9260,9560, and AX200 and AX210 and they were all unstable. I Reset Nvram multiple times at your suggestion and got stability with the current AX210 and 14.3 but the upgrade to 14.4 brought back the nightmares, I wonder if the ES is causing this?

No, the Airportitlwm Stable 2.2.0 kext doesn't support Sonoma.

You must use the Alpha 2.3.0 Sonoma Airportitlwm.kext, if you are running Sonoma.

While it is still rated as Alpha and not Stable this kext works well for me. I have never noticed any difference using it compared to using either of the Ventura v2.2.0 or 2.3.0 kexts.

I have a few systems using Intel 210 and 200 WiFi-6 cards in Ventura and Sonoma. They all work as expected, given the Apple Continuity limitations.

 

[Edhawk]

Well something is going wrong with the Intel WiFi/BT card in your machine. I bought two more Intel AX200 cards last week. One for a new mini PC Hack running Ventura & Sonoma with the other for use in an existing desktop Hack, so it can be upgraded to run Sonoma.

The Mini PC worked straight off the bat with no issues. I have still to upgrade the desktop system but it works just fine in Ventura using the Alpha release AirportItlwm kext and Intel Bluetooth kexts v2.4.0.

I am reluctant to upgrade to Sonoma 14.4 until some of the issues discovered during the Beta stage have been resolved.

I doubt it is the ‘ES’ CPU causing the issue, but stranger things have happened.

 

[dasboot5]

It has been documented that some or many features of these ES CPUs do not work, or do not work properly. Because there is a CNVI technology used, which is supplied through the processor, even with wifi cards that do not need CNVI to function, ie the Broadcom card, this is why I tended to think this might be what is going on. But, to reinforce your point, the AX210 card functions perfectly in Win 11 booted off its dedicated SSD drive as this is a dual boot machine. This means the processor, bios, and drivers are working properly in Windows, but crashes occur in Sonoma in both 14.3 and 14.4 with the alpha Kext.... I bet the Bluetooth will work if I reenable it alone.

 

[Edhawk]

The Bluetooth would probably work, just as long as the USB port associated with the CVNi connection is active in your USBPorts kext.

 

[dasboot5]

@Edhawk, Verified Bluetooth works, and as a factoid, the Airportitlwm Sonoma Kext has been updated for 14.4 which was causing the crash. The current ( or as current as I had it) Kext must be disabled to update to 14.4 and the current version 42dc7bc on 3/9
Kext was updated to ef2e076 for 14.4 and a new version from 3/9, replacing what I had for the Z370 and my "Z390, machine which resulted in the same upgrade results as the Z370", this cured the crashing, by just replacing the Kext with 42dc7bc. My suggestion is to disable all of the "Intel wifi Kexts", before making any Sonoma update and then check functionality by re-enabling, it after the update has been completed. Have a boot flash ready without Intel Kexts to get yourself back to the desktop if crashing is experienced. If the newest one does not fix you will have to leave it disabled until a corrected alpha build is written.