[driven]

Can anyone point me to the link in the Apple Store where one can buy the Internal Bluetooth module? I'm having a heck-of-a-time finding it.

Thanks in advance.

[tooki]

There's no link, because Apple doesn't sell it. The only way to get the internal module is at the time of order, when ordering a build-to-order machine.

tooki

[driven]

Thanks for the reply!

Odd:
So ... if you buy a machine that can't be BTOed (such as a refurb, or a store retailer) you can't have bluetooth?

Seems self-defeating.

[Link]

You needed me for a bluetooth WHAT?

[davebl]

Ok, you can add the Apple Bluetooth Module at ANY TIME YOU WISH. The only catch is the part goes from $50.00 at the BTO option to $125.00 when you order the parts (the module and external antenna). I bought a refurbed DP 2ghz G5 and added the bluetooth module myself and still saved, in comparison to a new one.

Now where to get the parts? Call Phil at Mac-Pro. You can get the number from http://www.mac-pro.com. Tell him you want the internal bluetooth module and antenna for your G5, and he'll get it.

Installing it isn't bad at all. There is a post on MacNN somewhere displaying it, and I took pictures intending to post a detailed guide the installation.


Good luck

[driven]

Originally posted by davebl:
Ok, you can add the Apple Bluetooth Module at ANY TIME YOU WISH. The only catch is the part goes from $50.00 at the BTO option to $125.00 when you order the parts (the module and external antenna). I bought a refurbed DP 2ghz G5 and added the bluetooth module myself and still saved, in comparison to a new one.

Now where to get the parts? Call Phil at Mac-Pro. You can get the number from http://www.mac-pro.com. Tell him you want the internal bluetooth module and antenna for your G5, and he'll get it.

Installing it isn't bad at all. There is a post on MacNN somewhere displaying it, and I took pictures intending to post a detailed guide the installation.


Good luck

Davebl,

THANK YOU!

[bowwowman]

Why not just save yourself the time & trouble and get a $30 D-Link USB adapter.......they're available almost everywhere

[driven]

Yeah ... while it's much cheaper than the internal BT board, I am wondering if there is sme internal advantage to owning the internal card? (I know on a notebook there is the advantage of one less thing to plug in, but what's the advantage on a desktop?)

Inquiring minds want to know ...

[Link]

for $120 you can get a USB card that has an internal port, a USB dongle, and a bit of antenna wire to satisfy your reception neeeds

[davebl]

I added it simply because "I can".

I have heard that you can not boot from a bluetooth mouse/keyboard with a non-Apple bluetooth module. I do not know any truth to that.

[opheim]

Just in case you need a tutorial on installing it, I made one back when I did it earlier this year. You can follow the guide on http://tersus.no/bluetooth/

[Cadaver]

I'm perfectly happy with the D-Link module on my G5. Bought stock, so I didn't have BT built-in. It seems Apple is fully supporting this module, as it works with all of their firmware updaters so far. Perhaps D-Link is manufacturing the internal modules for Apple, and the dongle is virtually the same device? Anyway, I've got the module attached to one of the USB ports on my display, and it works perfectly.

[chabig]

Originally posted by davebl:
I have heard that you can not boot from a bluetooth mouse/keyboard with a non-Apple bluetooth module. I do not know any truth to that.

I can't tell you the last time I booted from a mouse, or even a keyboard. Usually I boot from some sort of disk drive.

Chris

[driven]

Originally posted by chabig:
I can't tell you the last time I booted from a mouse, or even a keyboard. Usually I boot from some sort of disk drive.

Chris

I think what he means is that there are times when you are going to want to have some sort of interaction with the system via the keyboard during the boot process. (For example: To get to the setup mode or some such thing ... perhaps force a boot from a CD-ROM.) You might not be able to do that with the external BT module and a BT keyboard. You may have to plug in a wired keyboard.

[chabig]

Yeah. I know. But the Apple bluetooth keyboard can be used to boot from CD, open firmware, safe mode, or single user mode. See http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86651, question #6. It will even work with the D-Link external bluetooth module. But it does say that once you are booted to safe mode or single user mode you have to use a wired keyboard--but that's true with the internal adapters as well as external. So the bottom line is that the external adapter has exactly the same capabilities as the internal adapter.

Chris

[makkystyle]

Kind of off topic but how do you wake your PM from sleep if you are using BT keyboard and mouse. I use both with my PowerBook, but once the 'puter goes to sleep the only way to wake it up is by pressing a key on the PB's built-in keyboard. If your PM went to sleep how would you wake it up????

[driven]

Originally posted by chabig:
Yeah. I know. But the Apple bluetooth keyboard can be used to boot from CD, open firmware, safe mode, or single user mode. See http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86651, question #6. It will even work with the D-Link external bluetooth module. But it does say that once you are booted to safe mode or single user mode you have to use a wired keyboard--but that's true with the internal adapters as well as external. So the bottom line is that the external adapter has exactly the same capabilities as the internal adapter.

Chris

Informative post. Thank you.

[chabig]

Originally posted by makkystyle:
Kind of off topic but how do you wake your PM from sleep if you are using BT keyboard and mouse.

Both my Powerbook and my eMac will wake by either clicking the bluetooth mouse, or by hitting a key on the bluetooth keyboard. But this feature has to be enabled in the Bluetooth Preferences. Look for a checkbox that says "Allow bluetooth devices to wake this computer."

Chris

[:XI:]

Originally posted by makkystyle:
Kind of off topic but how do you wake your PM from sleep if you are using BT keyboard and mouse. I use both with my PowerBook, but once the 'puter goes to sleep the only way to wake it up is by pressing a key on the PB's built-in keyboard. If your PM went to sleep how would you wake it up????

By pressing the Power button?

[makkystyle]

Originally posted by chabig:
Both my Powerbook and my eMac will wake by either clicking the bluetooth mouse, or by hitting a key on the bluetooth keyboard. But this feature has to be enabled in the Bluetooth Preferences. Look for a checkbox that says "Allow bluetooth devices to wake this computer."

Chris

Thanks, found it! That solves my PM question. Interestingly, though, the "Allow BT...." selection is greyed out on my computer. Does this have to do with the fact that my bluetooth is not internal??? But you say your eMac has this function enabled? I don't remember eMac having a built-in bluetooth option. The raBT hole deepens!

[chabig]

My eMac has the external dongle. The wake option was grayed out until I installed the latest bluetooth firmware update (http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...reupdater.html). After you download and install this update I bet the wake option will be there for you too.

Chris

[sworthy]

Originally posted by chabig:
My eMac has the external dongle. The wake option was grayed out until I installed the latest bluetooth firmware update (http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...reupdater.html). After you download and install this update I bet the wake option will be there for you too.

Chris

Did that with my internal bt powerbook, and it's still greyed out. Any ideas?

[chabig]

Try repairing permissions, then rerun the BT firmware updater.

Chris

[josh k]

Does anyone know if an OEM apple bluetooth module is retrofittable to a MDD G4, specifically the FW400 models? I know that the FW800 models were the only ones that were advertised as "Bluetooth Ready" but the connector and the standoffs for the module are present on the motherboard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[driven]

Originally posted by josh k:
Does anyone know if an OEM apple bluetooth module is retrofittable to a MDD G4, specifically the FW400 models? I know that the FW800 models were the only ones that were advertised as "Bluetooth Ready" but the connector and the standoffs for the module are present on the motherboard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I would seriously doubt that it would work in an MDD G4. (Or any G4 for that matter!)

It *is* retrofitable to the G5's that do not have it, albeit it is a costly solution with no real advantage over the dongles short of being internal.

[bighead]

Originally posted by josh k:
Does anyone know if an OEM apple bluetooth module is retrofittable to a MDD G4, specifically the FW400 models? I know that the FW800 models were the only ones that were advertised as "Bluetooth Ready" but the connector and the standoffs for the module are present on the motherboard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

FW400 models don't have the same connector and standoffs on the MLB. The two main differences in that same corner of the logic board are the AirPort Extreme card and the Bluetooth card. Looking on the MLB of my MDD 2003, there's no internal area for Bluetooth. It won't work.

[Skip Breakfast]

I want to know what it looks like.

[bighead]

Originally posted by Skip Breakfast:
I want to know what it looks like.

The G4 module, the G5 module, the receptacle on the MDD or the receptacle on the G5?