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    Aftermarket Bluetooth

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by camp, Mar 14, 2011.

  1. camp

    camp Notebook Enthusiast

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    So I am thinking about installing a bluetooth card in my machine. I did not order one originally.

    After searching these forums, one user says here to use a Dell 365 card for the M11X. When I shop around for one, each is listed for a different Dell system. My question is: Are these cards all the same? Are they interchangeable in Dell systems?

    Any insight would be great before I go any further with this. Thanks! :)

    Camp
     
    camp, Mar 14, 2011
    #1
  2. kovboi

    kovboi Notebook Consultant

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    I believe they're all the same. I got an aftermarket BT adapter off ebay (from Singapore). It installed without a hitch. Just make sure you watch the teardown video closely before you start (search youtube for "m11x teardown" if you don't know what I'm talking about).
     
    kovboi, Mar 15, 2011
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  3. DrGoodvibes

    DrGoodvibes Notebook Deity

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    Just a thought, but if you get a Bluetooth 3.0+HS you may be able to piggy back Bluetooth data on the 802.11 WiFi.

    The M11x currently comes with Dell 365 Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR card

    Dell also supplies the following Dell 375 Bluetooth 3.0 card.

    While Dell™ has sold Bluetooth daughter cards in portables for several years, the Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module is a new smaller version of a daughter card. The card connects to the system board using a cable. The card is smaller than the Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth daughter card but provides the same reliability and the new Bluetooth 3.0 standard. The card works in Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. This product has been tested and validated on Dell systems. It is supported by Dell Technical Support when used with a Dell system.


    • Support for Bluetooth 3.0
    • Uses latest Broadcom 2070 based low power, low cost, small form factor, ROM based Bluetooth chipset
    • Improved range performance by using off-board LCD integrated antenna
    • Uses onboard meander antenna when performance with this is sufficient
    • Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Ubuntu and Linux support
    • Bluetooth 3.0 – Enhanced Power Control to maximize range and read encryption size for enhanced security
    • Additional Bluetooth Profiles – Health Device Profile, AVRCP 1.4, OBEX 1.4 and OBEX enhancements, Enhanced L2CAP with flow and error control
    • Audio improvements for Windows 7
    • Windows 7 user interface improvements
    • Backwards compatibility with all Bluetooth standards
    ​

    No point in buying out dated tech if newer hardware adds value.
     
    DrGoodvibes, Mar 15, 2011
    #3
  4. kosti

    kosti Notebook Virtuoso

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    kosti, Mar 15, 2011
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  5. anthonykit

    anthonykit Notebook Consultant

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    Thank for the info on the 375 Bluetooth card.

    I will definetely get this.

    I have been thinking of getting a usb adapyter because I wanted Bluetooth 3.0. With the 375 card I can get just what I want.
     
    anthonykit, Mar 15, 2011
    #5
  6. aKaBetty

    aKaBetty Notebook Guru

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    I'm interested in the Dell 375. Although I already purchase a cheap bluetooth mini dongle, I realize I prefer a built in one and a free usb port. Do I need to buy a pin cable?
     
    aKaBetty, Mar 15, 2011
    #6
  7. kosti

    kosti Notebook Virtuoso

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    From the looks of it, there's a connector on the motherboard that the BT card drops into, so no cable.
     
    kosti, Mar 15, 2011
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  8. aKaBetty

    aKaBetty Notebook Guru

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    Great! Thanks for the reply.
     
    aKaBetty, Mar 15, 2011
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  9. JayGlaze379

    JayGlaze379 Newbie

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    If anyone gets a 375 module to work in a m11x r2 please post back and let me know. I have been very interested in using a 375, but no matter which drivers I install (windows or dell) it does not function.
     
    JayGlaze379, Mar 20, 2011
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  10. aKaBetty

    aKaBetty Notebook Guru

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    I finally got my Dell 375 but the issue I'm having is it seems to be different from the Dell 365 version. It doesn't clip on like the Dell 365 version. Anyone have any ideas? The Dell 375 looks like below.

    [​IMG]

    P.S. - JayGlaze379, how did you install it on your R2? I have the R1.
     
    aKaBetty, Apr 18, 2011
    #10
  11. Descalzo

    Descalzo Notebook Evangelist

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    I did something similar to what DrGoodVibes suggested. I didn't order mine with bluetooth, I checked Device Manager and saw no bluetooth, so I installed a BT/WiFi combo chip from my m101z, and all of a sudden Windows started installing drivers for BT 365. I took out the BT/WiFi combo chip and lo and behold I still had wifi. Turns out they had left it in, but didn't install the drivers. Free BT, baby!
     
    Descalzo, Apr 19, 2011
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  12. aKaBetty

    aKaBetty Notebook Guru

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    Nobody has tried installing the Dell 375 into their M11x?
     
    aKaBetty, Apr 19, 2011
    #12