Eee PC mod brings some internal Bluetooth

The Asus Eee PC isn't missing many must-have specs right out of the box, but there's always going to be a reason or three for some internal Bluetooth. Luckily, the hack really isn't too terribly difficult as demonstrated by tnkgrl -- as long as you've got a basic idea about what you're doing when it comes to a few stray USB wires and a motherboard. It involves a standard USB Bluetooth dongle stripped to its essentials and hooked up to the mini PCIe slot that also hosts the Eee PC's wireless card. The hack doesn't mess with your original wireless, and provides the sweet, sweet Bluetooths to XP and the standard Xandros OS. And speaking of Xandros, someone's also gone through the trouble of getting their WM6 HTC TyTN up and tethered with the Eee -- which seems like a natural next step after you manage the tnkgrl hack, but we're not the boss of you.

Read - Internal Bluetooth hack
Read - TyTN tether

[chainofcommand02 @ Nov 28th 2007 10:25AM]

Shouldn't that BT module show up as a USB device? It looks like the Windows XP Dev Mgr shows it as a "built-in" device. What am I missing?

[barrywoods @ Nov 28th 2007 11:02AM]

It's probably because it's seeing it from the internal usb. Most of the newer laptops have dedicated internal usb "ports" for devices like bluetooth, the keyboard, trackpad, built in camera. They don't show up as external devices either.

[Mark Richardson @ Nov 28th 2007 2:36PM]

I believe it's because, as the article states, the Bluetooth device is hooked up to the mini PCIe slot, and not the USB port.

[Phil Ringsmuth @ Nov 28th 2007 10:26AM]

Darn right you're not the boss of me now.

They Might Be Giants is (not) the boss of me now.

[ScOObyDoo @ Nov 28th 2007 10:44AM]

Awesome mod. This was the one thing holding me back from getting myself an EEE. Kind of weird Asus didn't just at it from day 1...

[stillen @ Nov 28th 2007 11:53AM]

Indeed, I also was holding back for lack of this feature, but I see why it was not included from the factory...it would have meant a higher purchase price. If you are really adamant about having, you will do what this modder did, and what many others will do also. I will be getting one VERY soon.

[BernieB @ Nov 28th 2007 3:27PM]

Not everyone needs bluetooth (like me) and would rather conserve battery life. Not knocking it, just saying..

[strider_mt2k @ Nov 28th 2007 12:51PM]

Wow that's very very cool.

I wonder if I could do the same to add internal BT to my Dell B130.
I'm not squeamish about opening and modding the thing, I just need to find the same points within it, in theory.

Hmm.

I saw a hack along those lines over at www.hackaday.com where a USB hub was wired into a UMPC to allow a flash drive to be installed internally for Readyboost use.

Either way it seems like a winner.

Good one!