MP 1,1-5,1 WiFi-BT confusion, internal? Dongle? Air Drop?

[Oldmopars]

I am working with 2 different cMP 4,1. Both are upgraded to 5,1 and running Mojave.
The first one is the one I am keeping. I normally use wired ethernet all the time on all my computers. Except my Macbook Pro sometimes. So, WiFi on this one is not a big deal, but I do want to be able to airdrop from my iPhone, iPad or Macbook Pro.
What would I need to do t make that work? Is it possible with Mojave?
The second one I am giving to my son. It also runs Mojave, but he does not have wired ethernet, he needs WiFi. He does not need airdrop, but would be nice if could add it as I think he has an iPhone.
What is the best option? Does a WiFi dongle work good with a 5,1 and Mojave? Do I need the internal Airport card with a newer adapter? What about airdrop?
What about a PCIe WiFi card?
If I can use a cheaper option I would like to. I am giving this to my son, and I am not wanting to spend a lot of money on it. (The reality is, its still an old computer) If I can get the WiFi cheap, it will allow me to spend that money on some additional RAM and maybe even a pair of better CPUs.
As for use, he is just going to be web surfing, no heavy gaming or work/business related use.
Both have AMD GPUs, mine is a RX580 8gb, his is a RX570 8gb.
I have built a decent PC for under $300. So far I am into these cMPs for about $70 each. $20 each for the cMP and $35 each for the GPUs. I also picked up some HDDs for $15, though I put 1TB in his and 3.5TB in mine.
BTW, I have looked at YouTube, Google, etc. Lots of info, but it all seems to be several years old. With computers the way they are, 3-5 years can change this dramatically.

 

[Bigwaff]

Good read overall and should help you decide what to do

The Definitive Classic Mac Pro (2006-2012) Upgrade Guide

The largest/most-complete guide to all possible classic Mac Pro upgrades covering OS, Firmware, GPU, CPU, Storage, USB, THunderbolt and Network upgrades.

blog.greggant.com

 

[reader50]

I investigated WiFi options when I started shopping for a WiFi 6e or 7 LAN upgrade. There doesn't seem to be an internal WiFi 6/7 solution because Apple rolled out WiFi 6 with the Apple Silicon machines. No WiFi 6 drivers for Intel Macs. I've heard there's a user effort underway to port Linux drivers over to macOS, but until they do, I went with an external solution.

My answer was to buy a mesh 6e system, which supports port aggregation. A mesh node sits nearby my MacPro. So far as the Mac is concerned, it's connected via ethernet. And I can double the LAN speeds by using both gig ports at once, while turning on link aggregation on both Mac and router node.

If OCLP updates their McFiver support, I'll connect with 10G ethernet to my node. The M5 10G port works in Monterey, and there's a manual way to get it working in Ventura through Sequoia. I saved the instructions, but haven't bothered to hack it together yet.

 

[mattspace]

My answer was to buy a mesh 6e system, which supports port aggregation. A mesh node sits nearby my MacPro. So far as the Mac is concerned, it's connected via ethernet. And I can double the LAN speeds by using both gig ports at once, while turning on link aggregation on both Mac and router node.

So out of curiosity - this is a Wifi base station you connect to the Mac with Ethernet cables, and then it connects back to your main router via Wifi?

 

[reader50]

So out of curiosity - this is a Wifi base station you connect to the Mac with Ethernet cables, and then it connects back to your main router via Wifi?

Yes. I figured a router node would be the fastest and most compatible WiFi adapter. More stable than a USB dongle, with no iffy drivers. And it doesn't burn a PCIe slot. Or require adding an external WiFi antenna to the built-in board in a 4,1 or 5,1.

1 Gbps is consistent and stable, as was 2 Gbps when I used the dual cables for awhile. The mesh router indicates an internal node-node speed ranging from 2.8-3.6 Gbps, so there's plenty of excess capacity to keep 1-2 gig links saturated.