installing internal bluetooth module on gateway t series

i want to install a bluetooth module on a t-1620 but gateway doesnt seem to be selling the modules. does anyone know where to get one?

 

found one by urself yet?

cheers ...

 

nope ive asked gateway and they told me i dont have an extra mini pcie slot when i do so no more trusting them

 

i think you do. onions review shows that there is indeed an extra mini pci slot for the laptop ive tried looking but the ones ive found include the wifi.

 

what did u find? bluetooth and wifi on the same slot?

 

If you go to the Gateway Notebook homepage you will see the m-150 series which is essentialy the same as the T-1616 (intel though) In any case, then navigate to the support section for that model (M-150) and look up components, bluetooth module:Wa-La! we have various part numbers for what appear to be the same blutooth internal chip (foxconn) If you contact tech support, to try and purchase, they will send you to sales up-grade, the challenge is getting a rep that is able to comprehend what you are trying to buy! anyway after three tries I got a quote of 94 dollars GEEZ!
Soooooooo I did not order it. If you look carefully at the picture on the "main view" page you will see that it is NOT minipci express. Go to the Dell website and look up "bluetooth module" easy to find, it looks to be the same part for $19.99 ! I have not done this yet, I believe there is a connector on the motherboard that accepts this module, the Dell website has instructions for their various models, but I have yet to Dissect my laptop, I have the P-6301 which is the 17" complement to the T-1616.

 

wow good job reasonabledave. tell me if you do find it. and pls show a link lol sounds like alot of navigating

 

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Wireless/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=430-1795

and they have a bunch more. no way to know for sure unless someone tinkers with it

 

awesome would that work on the t-1616? ey onion if u read this can u tell us?

 

hey i was doing some research and theres this laptop with the same build and with bluetooth

here is the module
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Q106/Cyclops/6008074R/6008074Rmv.shtml

and the laptop model

Gateway T-6821c Notebook
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/2007/Triton/1014796R/1014796Rnv.shtml

i have yet to figure out where it goes because it doesnt fit the mini pci slot

 

Both the above Gateway and Dell 355 bluetooth module got a USB connector. it won't work with min PCI Express slot. your laptop board has to have USB (5 pin) connector.

if your laptop got mini PCI Express slot, you have to get card which looks like this one (this is LAN card)

 

so ok where can one get a cheap min pci card BLUETOOTH ERP 2.0 (3Mbps) for a M6752 & M6834 :rolleyes2: . I know it has one socket free located next to the Hard drive and nect to the Wifi a/b/g/n module. In addition who knows what the manufacterer is of the motherboard (Avalon?) in these systems and how about a different BIOS ? Am anxious for a reply as I hate using an USB = thus external Bluetooth device . Thanks for any tips.

 

I am also anxious to aquire a mini pci express bluetooth module for my Gateway T1616 notebook. I have spent the past few days scouring the interweb to no avail. If ANYBODY knows where such an item could be purchased, please do not hesitate to contact me: [email protected]

Thank You

 

If you guys want a Mini PCI-Express Bluetooth card, you need to get the Dell Wireless 370 (Manufactured by Broadcom, commonly found in the new Dell Studio 15/17). It can be easily purchased at Dell's Canada site, but it is not available for purchase in the United States. You will need to call Dell and tell them you need a part, and the SKU is 30-3165. It should be $40.



As far as I know, it should be a near perfect fit, if not exact. You might even be able to use the motherboard's card mount to make sure it stays in place.

EDIT: Someone has it on eBay, in quantities of 28 at the time of this post.

http://cgi.ebay.com/(NEW)-DELL-True...ItemQQimsxZ20080908?IMSfp=TL080908112021r6013

 

Is there anyone who tried this card? I am wondering if there is a chip lock or something like that which will prevent these cards working inside non-Dell laptops... Please let us know...

 

I got one on order to be put into my M-6862 if I don't forget I will let you ppl know the results. It seems to be a standard Broadcom OEM piece so the only issue is drivers for whatever OS you're using it in.

 

I ordered this card and received it today then installed it to my T-1625. There was an empty mini PCI slot and I put that card in there. I had to remove one of the screws holding wireless card and screwed the bluetooth module. So, both have one screws holding them.
Does it work?
Yes it works. Ubuntu 8.04 recognized it right away. However, you will need an antenna similar to the ones in wireless card. Without antenna, it can only get signal from 1-inch distance devices.
So, my question is, where can I get an antenna? Do I have to wire it into the screen or will it be fine to put the antenna somewhere near the card?

 

I have a Gateway M-1617 and a mini-pci express slot. I have the same question, what about the antenna connection. I have replaced the wireless card and have the free white antenna connection that went with the N card, will this work or should there be a different connection?

 

Hey man, any update ? I'm itching for bluetooth and own an m-6862...

 

Try these for antenna wires: eBay wireless antenna

Just route the wire around the mainboard.

 

Yes, it will work. Those antenna wires only carry signal, no actual electrical current.

 

That sucks. I don't want to pay $40 for just a card, nor do I need 28 of them. Time to go hunting for a cheaper one.

EDIT: Just noticed people talking about the antenna. On the dell website it says the antenna is Internal Intergrated. What does this mean? That the antenna is built into the card? If so why is an external antenna needed?

 

I used to repair Dell laptops. I've never seen a bluetooth module with an external antenna. (not saying they don't exist) All the ones I've seen have a trace on the board that acted as the antenna.

Here is a good example:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/DELL_TrueMobile_350_Bluetooth_card.jpg

You can clearly see the trace. Those cards had a very good range so I guess you don't need much of an antenna.

 

I guess you could not find a cheaper one, did you? Anyways.
It does require an antenna as there is a pigtail connector on the card. I tried; it does not get any signal without an antenna. However, it gets signal from 2 rooms further when I disconnect wireless antenna and connect it to bluetooth card. I think Dell meant the antenna is internal to the laptop, not the card itself.

 

Hmm... I think the two of you are talking about slightly different bluetooth modules.

agonified, can you post a picture of the module you're talking about? I'd like to see how the pigtail connector looks on the card.

I've seen that wavey copper thing on cards before, but I never really knew how well that would function as an antenna.

 

Dell 370 for $29.99

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...oductdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=430-3164

 

I just realized that both of you are correct on the antennas.

On the older dell bluetooth modules the antenna is built into the module with that strip of copper.
But basically starting with the 370 and the new pci slots the antenna is now external just like wifi cards.

 

Good. So I don't have to take a picture of it.

 

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=430-3165

Wireless 410 Bluetooth + Ultra Wide Band Combo Mini-PCIe is avail as well from Dell...
$50 but not sure how many devices are using Ultra Wide Band bluetooth yet...

 

Just an update guys,

I've purchased the Wireless Card 370 + this U.FL Antenna

And downloaded the Drivers from Dell's website - Works Perfect !

The above antenna fits perfectly underneath the dedicated Play/Pause buttons just above the keyboard. The cable does not seem long enough to fit properly inside the LCD screen but I didn't push the installation.

 

So you opened up the back, and the lcd screen? Is there a guide for this? or did you just start unscrewing? If so care to take some pics?

 

User guides for opening up your laptop.

http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/2008/GodzillaFX/1015641R/1015641Rul.shtml

 

Those guides only talk about User Serviceable parts. Opening the back fully, and opening the lcd are not covered. Also, I was talking about the m-6862. Not your fault, at all though.

 

I just received my 370 and now I need to make an antenna. I was thinking first I might try using one of the wireless cables and see how my reception works for both wifi and blutooth. If it is unsatisfactory I will take an antenna cable I have and solder it to a small PCB.

 

Woah. The subscription notification email has a different message than was posted, and I love push email.

But after I got the card, I opened the back panels and looked around. You don't have to open the entire back. Just removing the hd panel and the memory/cpu/gpu panel will give you enough room to thread the antenna, and use the empty clips. Then use gateway guide for removing the media keys.
I just got the antenna today, but haven't had a chance to install it yet.

 

I used one of the wifi cables and everything is working fine. I still went ahead and ordered the antenna cable jaypeezee recommended because it is so cheap. The only issue I see is the mounting holes don't line up. I may xray the board to see if it would be OK to drill the board so I can secure it properly.

 

Hi jaypeezee,

Q1: Your BT ... have you connected to your Cell Phone with it? Does it work A-OK? Any dropped signals?

Q2: Did you use anything to secure the antenna wire in place?

Thanks,

G!

 

Hey gecko,

Any updates since you got the antenna? Did you get the Jaysee's antenna or the Pair one from HongKong seller?

Any pictures of your Installation in M-6862 by any chance?

OK ... I think I figured it out by looking at the pictures of someone back panel ... so the BT Card goes under the Memory Bay cover area and you Routed the Copperish lead under and taped down to Chassis of the HD ... RIGHT!?!?

Thanks,

G!

 

I'm glad to see the 370 working out well for you guys, congratulations. Has anyone tried the Bluetooth enable/disable key shortcut (FN+F6) and see if it works?

 

Well, my fn+f6 does not work but fn+f2 disables/enables both of wifi and bluetooth. I found out that wireless switch also does the same.

As far as antenna is concerned, I ordered an old HP-antenna set, which were long enough to get to the back of the LCD, and I wired one of them to underneath the keyboard. You have to remove both of the caps below the laptop, remove the battery, remove the screws for keyboard and media keys covers. You'll figure out the rest easily. Then I taped it on a reasonable spot using an electrical tape(keyboard area does not get that hot).

HOWEVER, that antenna did not provide me much reception. I tested it with MS Presenter mouse 8000 and it lost the signal after about 2.5 meters. Then I decided to switch AUX antenna of wifi card with the antenna of bluetooth card. Now I have much very long reception with bluetooth and nearly non-changed wifi reception.

I would first try to use AUX antenna of wifi for the bluetooth to see if both gets reasonable signal. If not, then you have to wire an antenna for bluetooh.

 

Hi agonified,

THANKS for sharing your findings and the Pointer on the AUX antenna. +rep.

G!