A build I did I attempted to put the bluetooth dongle inside the case I buy a Belkin F8T017NG B/tooth v2.1 from scan and a NZXT IU01 Int USB Expansion from (but no longer) Scan. The NZXT IU01 is notable because it has the dedicated power that I thought would enable the dongle to function at full power... also with the bonus I can power up the 2 front panel points. However, internally the 100-150m range dongle (if you live in the middle of a tulip field in Holland) had a range of about 2 foot!... I tried different positions internally before giving up... I guess way too much interference inside this mATX case. a couple of questions on this.. Has anyone succeeded fitting a bluetooth device internally with at least a households worth of range? and, regarding the NZXT IU01.. it splits an internal usb port into 6 (*5) points. The connection on the motherboard is one of the pair of usb connections used for the front usb points that are notoriously under powered. There are 2 front ports... the NZXT IU01 splits into (*5)... would this effect the bluetooth dongle? could I, if I didn't have the box interference issues, run the 2 front ports and the bluetooth dongle.. and anything else connected off a single mobo usb port? *5... the expansion card only had 5 ports on it (see the picture) but they claim it splits into 6!
Bluetooth generally only has a maximum range of 10m regardless of what junk they write on the box. It also doesn't like going through thinks like metal cases. I ended up getting one of those tiny usb ones & sticking it in the hub built in to my monitor
Not a great idea IMHO. The 2 issues I think will obliterate bluetooth range by placing the receiver inside the case are certainly interference from the other components and more importantly the fact that your case should be designed to shield radio interference from entering and leaving the case (like a faraday cage), essentially any metal box should stop electromagnetic waves entering or leaving the enclosure, for example try using your mobile phone in a lift, its not happening! My P8Z68V-Pro motherboard has bluetooth built in but it is clear that asus have put the antenna on the exterior, you can see a little nub sticking out of the I/O ports. I would suggest you do the same maybe trail the extension outside the back through a PCI slot see if you get any improvement.
My little Bluetooth device that I got a few years back is plugged into the back of my PC - and anywhere in my room I can connect to it. It is not visible, gives good if not great speeds, and is easy to use. In other words: internal Bluetooth -> what's the point?
shame on you ... I know the box has too much interference but it was fun finding out for sure ... was just curious if anyone had succeeded... but was more interested in finding out if you could split a usb port into 6 (or 5!) without any detrimental effects..
Do you know what is the range of the latest Bluetooth 4.0? I couldn't find it at: http://thexbit.com/bluetooth-4-0-whats-new/ Are there any devices in the market except iPhone 4S, MacBook Air and Mac Mini supporting it?
