7260HMW Wireless + BT4.0 - Bluetooth Installed But Detecting Devices

[joetonge]

I have a mini PCI Express wireless/bluetooth combo adapter and I just noticed that I can't get bluetooth to work. I've had this adapter since 2014 when the system was Windows 7 and have since upgraded to Windows 8 then 8.1 then 10 (clean installs). To be honest, I've had so little need for bluetooth on this system that I don't know when it stopped working, but now that I do have a device to connect, I just want it fixed.

The issue is that I can't see any bluetooth devices when they are nearby and discoverable, which means I can't pair them or use them. I've also set the system to be discoverable by other devices, but don't see it listed when I scan for nearby devices with my phone.  The wireless adapter part works and can connect to my home WiFi. The bluetooth and wireless adapters are both listed in device manager and report that they are operating correctly. Initially Windows found and installed drivers automatically and I noticed this bluetooth connection issue. So I downloaded the latest drivers from the Intel website, uninstalled the old ones, rebooted and then installed the new ones - no change. I've tried restarting all the bluetooth services, which also made no change.

I've seen threads about taping "pin 51" for 7260 adapters having bluetooth issues, but those seemed to be related to bluetooth install issues (i.e. bluetooth not detected in device manager, or driver installation errors). I have not tried this yet because mine reports that it's working and that everything is installed correctly.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Maria_R_Intel]

Hello joetonge,

Thank you for posting on the Intel* Community.

Please provide me with the below information:

• Is the wireless card an integration you made to your system?

Please run the following tool in Windows* and attach the report generated. 

Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) 

• Intel® SSU Download
• Open the application and click on "Scan" to see the system and device information. By default, Intel® SSU will take you to the "Summary View". 
• Click on the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View". 
• To save your scan, click on "Next", then "Save". 

Best regards,

Maria R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[joetonge]

Hi Maria,

I purchased the wireless/bluetooth card separately from the motherboard at the time I built the computer. The requested report is attached.

Please let me know if you need any more information.

Thanks,

Joe

[Maria_R_Intel]

Hello joetonge,

As per the information you provided this seems to be integrated on the system. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) may limit the computer to only specific wireless adapters, causing an installation error when booting with a different, previously installed wireless adapter.

I was unable to find drivers for Bluetooth/wireless on the Motherboard manufacturer website, however, I found information regarding the installation of the Wireless card.

My first recommendation is to check the installation of the antennas and card, you can find the ASRock instructions on section 1.6 WiFi-802.11n Module and ASRock WiFi 2.4GHz Antenna

 (for Z87 Extreme6/ac only )  page 16.

If the issue persists, you can try with a Clean installation of the drivers and try to use the generic Bluetooth* driver version 21.10.1, according to the report you are using version 18.33.17.1 that is not listed on the ASRock* or Intel* website.

If the issue persists, the best course of action will be to contact ASRock and verify with them the installation steps and possible hardware failure on the antenna or the card connections, you may also ask if they can provide customized drivers for your specific system or more advise regarding the motherboard/system Bluetooth and wireless configuration and how to properly integrate the card.

Best regards,

Maria R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[joetonge]

Thank you for your response. A few things:

1) The motherboard I have came in two versions, the ASRock Z87 Extreme6 and the Z87 Extreme6ac, the only difference between the two being the addition of a prepopulated wireless card with an antenna. I chose the Z87 Extreme6 (not "ac") because it was on a particularly good promotion and the "ac" version was not. At the same time I purchased the motherboard, I also bought this Intel 7260HMW combo wireless card because the two purchased together was still less expensive than buying the Z87 Extreme6ac. So no, this card was not integrated in the system at the time of purchase and would not be supported by ASRock, as they did not supply it.

2) This card did not come with an antenna. It doesn't seem to impact wireless performance and I'm pretty sure bluetooth used to work, so I don't think this should be the problem.

3) I downloaded the latest wireless and bluetooth drivers from HERE and HERE, respectively. Note that on the wireless driver site, the Intel PROSet software version is 21.10.1, but the driver version for Windows 10 is listed as 18.33.17.1, which confirms I have the latest version installed. Similarly, the bluetooth software is also listed as version 21.10.1 with the driver is 20.100.5.1. Regardless, I redownloaded and reinstalled the drivers and there is no change.

Like I said, I don't think ASRock will help me out because it's not their card, which is why I'm reaching out here. Do you have any other ideas for how to get this to work?

[Maria_R_Intel]

Hello joetonge,

Thank you for the information.

We also have two types of wireless products, as you can see here we have the Wireless desktop kit, which includes the antenna to make the Bluetooth and wireless work. The antenna connector functionality differs depending on the Intel® Wireless adapter you are using. In Intel® Wireless adapters, both antenna connectors are used for Wi-Fi supporting 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The difference is that one of the antenna is shared by both the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio.

As your motherboard does not include the wireless card and you are not using a Desktop Kit, we consider this as an integration, we cannot confirm how integration will work on your system and Wireless antennas are generally provided by each OEM, as they will need to fit each computer's and may subject to country-specific regulatory requirements. 

Replacing wireless antennas can be considered a wireless integration on its own. Intel® does not support wireless integrations. We recommend you speak to the manufacturer of your equipment or motherboard for support on wireless integrations and replacement parts to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements of your country and also, the proper installation of the wireless/Bluetooth card.

Best regards,

Maria R.

Intel Customer Support Technician