Can't work out whether laptop has inbuilt Bluetooth.

kol12

Estimable
Jan 26, 2015
134
0
4,640
Have an Asus X55A laptop and can't work out whether Bluetooth is onboard or not. I installed Bluetooth drivers from the X55A support page but can't find any indication Bluetooth is active. There is no Bluetooth icon in Action center, no sign of Bluetooth settings in Control panel and no definite indication in Device Manager. The product page seems to suggest it is an optional feature. Is there another way to activate it? A switch on the laptop or something?
 
Solution
If the laptop has a bluetooth adapter, it would appear in the device manager under it's own category "Bluetooth Adapters." Thus it seems like it doesn't have that feature. There are two choices to add it: plug in a bluetooth USB dongle, or swap out the wifi card. Most modern laptops with bluetooth have a dual wifi/bluetooth card. Those cards aren't too expensive, though it would be a slightly more involved installation than simply plugging a dongle into an available USB port.

SchizTech

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2011
377
1
19,210
If the laptop has a bluetooth adapter, it would appear in the device manager under it's own category "Bluetooth Adapters." Thus it seems like it doesn't have that feature. There are two choices to add it: plug in a bluetooth USB dongle, or swap out the wifi card. Most modern laptops with bluetooth have a dual wifi/bluetooth card. Those cards aren't too expensive, though it would be a slightly more involved installation than simply plugging a dongle into an available USB port.
 
Solution

kol12

Estimable
Jan 26, 2015
134
0
4,640
Definitely no sign of Bluetooth Adapters in Device Manager so it must be time to go out and get an USB dongle. Asus say's Bluetooth is optional with this particular laptop so maybe some come with the wifi/bluetooth card and others just a wifi card. Thanks.