The Tips - Mac Kung Fu - page 410

way works only if the Macs to which you want to send or receive files are part
of the same network. However, unlike with regular AirDrop, this network can
be either wired (Ethernet) or Wi-Fi.
It's important to note that this is strictly an unofficial tweak—you might find
it works perfectly, or it might not work at all. Just give it a try! If it doesn't
work, simply disable the tweak as described at the end of this tip.
Enabling AirDrop on Incompatible Macs
Open a Terminal window (open Finder, select the Applications list, and then
in the list of applications double-click Terminal within the UTILITIES folder), and
on the Mac not supported by AirDrop, type the following:
DEFAULTS WRITE COM.APPLE.NETWORKBROWSER BROWSEALLINTERFACES -BOOL TRUE
Then restart the computer. Repeat this tweak on every other Mac to which
you want to transfer files via AirDrop, even if they are already compatible with
AirDrop. Reboot each after making the tweak.
Using AirDrop on Incompatible Macs
Once enabled on all the computers concerned, you should find AirDrop works
exactly as described in Exploring OS X: AirDrop , on page 161 —just drag and
drop files on the icons of other Macs that appear within the radar view that
appears when AirDrop is selected in Finder. Their users can drag and drop
files on your icon to transfer files to you, too.
You might find that some Macs don't appear on your AirDrop radar, even
though you appear on theirs. Once someone has transferred a file to you,
however, you should find that that Mac becomes visible.
Bear in mind that the standard AirDrop service is intentionally limited by
distance because it's intended for sharing files with those physically nearby.
Enabling this tweak will open up AirDrop to each Mac in the network, which,
in an office environment, could cover an entire building—or more.
Disabling the AirDrop Setting
To disable this tweak, open a Terminal window, and type the following, again
rebooting your computer afterward:
DEFAULTS DELETE COM.APPLE.NETWORKBROWSER BROWSEALLINTERFACES
Don't forget to do so on all the computers on which you made the tweak.