bluetooth 4.0 module

[airstreamer]

Currently my laptop has a Bluetooth 2.0 module installed. The HP spare is 483113-001.

Is there an equivalent module that provides Bluetooth  4.0 communications?

Thanks... Tom.

[WAWood]

airstreamer

Your PC came out in the Windows Vista days, which is why it is stuck with Bluetooth 2.0 hardware.

There is no way to upgrade it to Bluetooth 4.0, using either hardware or software.

I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor do I represent, HP.
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[UBoMW]

Hi,

I was wondering if you could provide a little more explanation as to the hardware impossibilty. I have an Elitebook 8540w and the bluetooth module (a little board) apparently can easily be removed by unscrewing one screw and removing a plastic cover on the front side of the laptop. My board is BCM92070md, which is nominally a bluetooth 2.1+EDR. However, I would need 4.0 LE for various reasons.

One might think that if I buy a 4.0 bluetooth board and replace the existing one (and have the approproiate driver installed) then the upgrade is done.

Why wouldn't this be feasible?

If it is, what is the module I need to buy?

I can provide a photo of the current module.

Thanks for your time.

[xanda]

We got this same requirement too - ours is a 2530p Elitebook.

As the Blueooth module is connected via USB then in theory this ought to make it a straight swap for a mechanically compatible one.

Assuming the hardware exists and also has v4.0/LE/SMART drivers for Windows 7, then this ought to be feasible as far as we can see. However getting both of these is likely tricky to say the least.

Can anyone shed some light here please? Has anyone been successful in this endeavour?

[UBoMW]

Hello there,

Before we begin:

First: I don't work for HP.

Second: The info below is provided "as-is", without any warranty expressed or implied as to the reliability/correctness in any way. You proceed at your own risk.

The short answer to the question is that the upgrade can be done. I myself have done it on my Elitebook 8540w. The SPS number for the bluetooth board you need for the upgrade is 655792-001.

I provide an overview of the "bluetooth situation" below and then instructions how
to upgrade.

Overview
======
The notebooks manufactured by HP in the period 2009-2014 (?) are perfectly fine in terms of their hardware to be used for general tasks even today - except for bluetooth. The bluetooth in these laptops is version 2.0 or 2.1+EDR and it is implemented with a separate little board connected via a cable to the motherboard.
The SPS number for this board is
537921-001
and the laptops we are talking about include (did not do an exhaustive search):
HP EliteBooks 8740w - 8760w
HP Elitebooks 8530w-p to 8560w-p
HP EliteBooks 8430w-p to 8460w-p
HP Elitebooks 2530p to 2560p
HP Elitebook 2730p-2760p Tablets
HP ProBooks 6450b to 6465b
HP ProBooks 6550b to 6565b

The bluetooth specifications took a "leap" from version 2.1 first to version 3.0 then
to 4.0 and 4.0LE (and then version 5...) in this period. This makes several current
peripheral devices incompatible with these laptops.
HP implemented bluetooth 4.0 first with the same kind of separate little board (then started using Wifi-bluetooth combo cards that became available around 2015-6 (?)).
The SPS number for this board is
655792-001
and the laptops that have this include
HP Elitebook 8770w, 8570w
HP Elitebook 8470w and 8470p (the latter is also called ProBook)
HP ProBook 6470b and 6475b.

How to upgrade
==========
So... if you want to upgrade, you can theoretically (see below) do this 3 ways:

1. Buy an external bluetooth 4.0 usb dongle and disable the internal bluetooth
device in the BIOS. This is what we want to avoid, as it takes up a valuable usb port (and needlessly increases consumption).
2.  (theoretical in this case) Buy a combined Wifi-Bluetooth 4.0 card, replace your existing WiFi card with it and disable the existing bluetooth device in the BIOS. This sounds good, since it also upgrades the WiFi card from "n" to "ac" (if that matters - it is only speed). However, you cannot do this: in this same period HP implemented a "whitelist" regarding network cards. This whitelist is in the BIOS and of you insert a card that is not on the whitelist, the computer refuses to boot.
This happened to me with my 8540w (before I became aware of option#3 below), even though the card I bought was manufactured by HP.
3. Buy a (used) bluetooth 4.0 board and swap out the existing bluetooth 2.1 board.
This is the topic of this thread. The way to go is as follows:
3.a.  Search for the service manual for your notebook: enter the term "(your HP notebook model) service manual" into your favorite search engine and download the pdf. For example, for a Elitebook 8440p, it is 

http://www.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02745864.pdf

Find Bluetooth in the manual and examine how to replace the board. Make a decision: can you do it? In some laptops, it is very easy (like on the 8540p-w), but in others it might be quite involved (like on the 2760p).
3.b.  If you decided to do the replacement, search for the SPS number 655792-001 on eBay and buy a bluetooth board (prices range from $7 to $25). Note: you can also find these boards without the SPS number as "Removed from HP laptops (some models from the list above)". However, pay attention:
many vendors don't really know the details like the difference between versions 2.1 and  4.0 and the boards physically look virtually identical, so you can find auctions which say "removed from HP Elitebook 8460p 8470p, 8560p 8670p" (see the models above: one has bluetooth 2.1 while the other has bluetooth 4.0). If you buy from these, you are not guaranteed a bluetooth 4.0 module.
3.c.  As per the instructions in the service manual of your laptop, swap out the existing board to the new one.

Note: this can be very easy (5 minutes), like on the 8540w-p, or quite difficult (about 2 hours) like on the 2730-60p tablets.

The two boards physically look almost identical - pay attention when you handle these boards.
3.d.  Install the appropriate drivers, available on the web (Win7-10 has basic drivers in them already, but to use all the profiles of bluetooth 4.0, you do need some package).

The device shows as "Broadcom 20702 Bluetooth  4.0 adapter" in device manager in Windows.

If you have problems, post here - I will answer (not immediately but within like 10-
14 days), so be patient).

UB

[Austenite]

Thank you UBoMW!

Do you happen to know if there's a way to tell the board version just by looking at it?

[UBoMW]

Hi,

Yes, there are minor differences that can be used to distinguish the two boards.

The most notable difference is that the Bluetooth 4.0 module has a string of digits below the QR-code on the sticker, while the Bluetooth 2.1 does not.

There are some other minor differences.

I enclose two photos. The first is the 2.1 module (sps 537921-001) while the other is the 4.0LE module (sps 655792-001).

Good luck - write again if something is not clear.

UB

Bluetooth 2.1 (sps 537921-001)

Bluetooth 4.0LE (sps 655792-001)