Unreliable bluetooth connectivity problems on Vostro laptop

Question

The dell wireless 365 bluetooth module on my Vostro 3300 laptop (Windows 7 32 bit with Core i5 processor) does not work properly.

I have problems with the following devices

Plantronics 975 bluetooth headset
logitech dinovo edge bluetooth keyboard
logitech m555b bluetooth mouse
microsoft 8000 bluetooth mouse.

Details of the issues are:

The Plantronics headset is unusable. The audio playback (e.g. on WMP music or skype) is often highly distorted (burbles, crackles and echoes) and when the headset is connected the responsiveness of the bluetooth mouse is severely impaired (lags, jumps about and loses connectivity) until the headset is disconnected. This happens with both mouses. There does not appear to be any specific triggers that start or end the period of audio distortion which are intermittent, vary in severity and frequency and can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. The problems do not seem to be heat related since the frequency, duration and severity of the distortion is unrelated to the laptop's case temperature or to the length of time the laptop has been running.
Connection to the logitech m555b is very unreliable making it unusable. I usually have to make 2 or 3 attempts before it pairs and connects. When it fails to pair I noticed that an HID mouse device entry in the device manager appears and disappears many times during the driver installation until it eventually disappears completely (even though the image of the mouse may still be shown in "devices & printers") . When it does manage to pair it often doesn't actually connect (and sometimes the mouse still flashes to indicate it is in pairing mode) and if it does connect then it often subsequently loses connectivity for a while (sometimes permanently).
The dinovo edge keyboard and the microsoft mouse occasionally lose connectivity but have always managed to reconnect after a few seconds.
The keyboard connectivity is not noticeably impaired when the headset is connected

A few other points:

I have had the laptop for about a week and these problems have existed from the start.
The bluetooth devices all worked perfectly on my old XP laptop (although the logitech mouse was sometimes slow to wake up)
I have disabled power management on the 365 bluetooth module (i.e. the computer is not allowed to turn it off to save power)
I have done a clean install of Win 7 with all the latest drivers from the Dell website (including the Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth 6.2.1.900 , A00 driver) this made no difference.
The bluetooth device icons never disappear from the "devices & printers" window after they have been paired (i.e. they never seem to randomly unpair)
The Dell call centre lady said that there are no documented problems of this kind with Vostro or the 365 Bluetooth module.
A Dell technician visited me and changed the laptop's 365 bluetooth module today but the problem persists so it is not a specific hadware problem.
I have connected the bluetooth devices separately and together but it makes no difference.
I don't have another bluetooth headset but I managed to do a brief test with a Sony device belonging to the dell technician. The audio problems were still evident but possibly less severe (although I didn't have much time to experiment so I cannot be certain).
No other active bluetooth devices(or other RF sources) are nearby
The problems are not affected by whether the laptop wifi is enabled or not.
The Task manager does not indicate that the processor is under heavy load when bluetooth failures occur.
The Plantronics headset fails in either single or multipoint mode
The Vostro is less sensitive at detecting in-range bluetooth devices than my old laptop (i.e. my old laptop can detect them over a greater distance)

The root-cause of all the issues appears to be the bluetooth link integrity which seems to be affected by the amount data going over the bluetooth connection (audio is worst, then mouse, then keyboard). It could be a buffer management issue or the management of the RF frequency/power but I don't have the ability to investigate. I have not managed to find any posts describing my problems with the Vostro, the 365 module or its broadcom chipset so I have run out of ideas.

If you are experiencing similar problems or you know the cause/fix or have any suggestions then please reply to this post.
Dell - Please try to reproduce these problems and determine if it is a design issue, a driver issue or a manufacturing issue.

Reliable Bluetooth is essential for me so if this cannot be fixed then I will return the laptop for a refund.

Thanks very much.

samrk · Accepted Answer

I recently changed jobs and got a new laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad).

Set up all the previously listed bluetooth devices and they all work PERFECTLY. Far better than I ever got them working with the Vostro - no mouse/keyboard hangs, sound quality on the Plantronics headset (mic and speaker) is fantastic.

Only one conclusion - Dell bluetooth is faulty and they don't care.

Last time I buy Dell.

samrk · Answer

Does Dell actually monitor these forums and respond to the questions?

There are heaps of related bluetooth problems that indicates that dell bluetooth is unreliable.

If you speak to their helpdesk it isn't possible to get any detailed information, they are reading from a script.

Bye Bye Dell, hello Lenovo or HP then

samrk · Answer

I feel like I am having a conversation with myself here but ...

THIS IS DEFINITELY A DRIVER AND/OR FIRMWARE PROBLEM - FIX IT DELL

I installed a newer version of a Windows 7 bluetooth 365 driver which is intended for the Inspiron M301Z. Package is R264248.exe and is named Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module, v.6.2.1.1100, A07-2. When I installed it I was informed that it was updating the bluetooth firmware and the WIDCOMM stack is a newer version

It significantly improves the audio quality of the headset and reduces incidents of the mouse lag that occurs when the headset is connected.

The problems still occur (particularly when I initiate the connection using the headset switch rather than from Windows 7) but the fact that they are less frequent and less severe suggests that the new driver/firmware/stack performs better.

Therefore the ball is in your court Dell - test it, speak to broadcom and get a version of the software that works perfectly.

I think that it is terrible that Dell does not carry out proper testing on their system and has failed to offer any response/advice/solutions to anybody who has had 365/370 problems (and there are many listed in these forums and elsewhere).

I will call them again on Monday.

If anybody else is experiencing these, or similar, problems then please add your comments below

Thanks

lotusandy · Answer

Sam,

You are not alone!

I have the same Vostro 3300 laptop as you and have also found bluetooth to be unusable as it is so unreliable, I want to:-

1. Use a bluetooth mouse

2. Send / recieve from my iphone

The mouse worked for almost 3 minutes then gave up, & I never managed to even pair my phone with the laptop.

However many thanks for the suggestion of the alternative driver, I have installed it & so far bluetooth is working perfectly.

I will keep you posted how I get on.

samrk · Answer

Thanks for the reply and glad that things have improved for you. Do you have a bluetooth headset that you can test with - this is my main problem and I am interested to hear of other's experiences.

BTW, did you contact Dell to inform them of the problem? - The more people that report a fault, the more likely they are to take notice and look into it (I hope). At the moment they do not have any problems of this kind recorded ...

Cheers

traxeurope · Answer

i have a similar problem with a vostro 3300 trying to connect to a 'kensington slimblade bluetooth presenter mouse'

sees the mouse pairs but then hangs and wont work or show services. Works well with other laptops :emotion-6:

traxeurope · Answer

The driver update link posted above for the 365 radio FIXED THE PROBLEM  for me  woooohooo!

xianzhang · Answer

I got a vostro 3300 with i3 processor this week, and I had the same problem with their 365 bluetooth module. I tried to use the bluetooth dell travel mouse and it frequently disconnnect after 2-3 minutes of use and I will have to pair it again with the computer. (The same mouse works fine on my old XP dell laptop)

Then I updated the bluetooth driver using Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module (Version:6.2.1.900 , A00). It didn't solve the problem, instead, now I can't even successfully pair the mouse with the computer. The mouse appeared to be installed on the computer but it's unusable and soon got disconnected after 4-5 seconds.

I will try the driver that Sam suggested this evening see whether it works for me. But I believe it's a common problem and a firmware issue.

loupgarou2 · Answer

I've had terrible bluetooth problems with my Vostro 3500 with the 365 bluetooth adapter since I got it a few months ago. ALthough, I shouldn't be surprised, I had the same problems with my Studio 15 with the 355 adapter. My apple BT keyboard, dell travel mouse and logitech travel mouse all disconnect, usually overnight when the machine is on (not asleep) and not in use. They also disconnect randomly throughout the day but toggling the wireless switch on the front of the computer off then back on usually fixes it. This morning, my keyboard & mouse wouldn't respond at all, after rebooting, powering them off/on, etc. Checked BT devices and they were gone. Tried to re-pair them, they'd stick for a few seconds, then disappear again.

I've dealt with this problem between my 2 Dell laptops for years. Talked to support, installed new adapters from Dell, tried every driver I could find. My conclusion is Dell's BT equipment/drivers are terrible and they have absolutely no intention of fixing the problem.

My solution? A $1 usb BT adapter from DealExtreme. It works perfectly on my Studio 15 and now my Vostro 3500. Pathetic that Dell can't do something better than a $1 chinese grey market part.

pf1234567 · Answer

I have a Vostro 3500 and i have the same issues.  I am equally dissatisfied with the lack of documentation and effort on Dell's behalf to fix it.

lior1234 · Answer

I have the same issues here with vostro 3500.

Sometimes the audio fine and sometimes the earpiece refuses to connect.

I know it's not a driver issue because I have tried it with a linux CD as well and the results are the same.

I've had it "fixed" 3 times already, they replaced the bluetooth adapter, the motherboard and the palm-rest where the bluetooth adapter reside. but still no luck. No they suggest that I'll reinstall windows (needless to say that the laptop is 2 weeks old!)

I'm trying to figure out why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Dell can't seem to give me a proper solution to THEIR problem. My solution is to give them bad reviews where ever I can. I think that only with bad PR that things are really moving.

sholzan · Answer

Hello,

im facing the same problem xianzhang mentionated. I have a Dell BT Travel Mouse and it gets constantly disconnected / unpaired from the bluetooth.

I tested another bluetooth mouse (an ACER one) and had the same problem.

I´ll try to update the driver and see if something gets better.

Cheers

leosrs · Answer

Hi Guys,

I am from Brazil and just got a brad new Dell Vostro 3300. I am facing the same issue as you. I have a Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse 5000 series. I got pairing, but my mouse only works for 5 minutes, then it turn disconnect and I can't make it work without a new pairing.

I have a Sony Vaio too and never had this problem. Now I am driving to a store just to by a wirelles mouse. I am a database developer and it's impossible to me work with touchpad.

Please let me know if you get new answers.

Best Regards

lotusandy · Answer

Guys,

Follow the steps given in the 3rd post in this thread posted by samrk on 3 jul 2010, download the driver he has linked to and install it, i was having loads of trouble with my BT mouse until I did so, 5 months later and the BT mouse has been perfect ever since..

Andy

leosrs · Answer

Hi Guys, I followed Andy's advice and it worked fine. My problem is finally solved. Thank you very much Leo

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Unreliable bluetooth connectivity problems on Vostro laptop

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