thinkpad bluetooth vs. intel centrino bluetooth - huh?

[albo]

hi folks,

I recently installed an update for my intel centrino ultimate-n 6300 AGN driver. It gave me a number of options of things to install, and one of those was the "Intel Centrino Wireless Bluetooth 3.0+". I thought it might have been a way to allow bluetooth devices to share my laptop's internet connection. But now I don't think so.

I can't find much about this thing online anywhere. Does anyone here know what this package is for? I already have a "Thinkpad Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate II" device installed, which I think is the driver for a separate bluetooth card in my thinkpad. I believe I ordered the laptop with bluetooth, so i think it does have that separate little card in there. So, does the centrino also somehow have bluetooth? Am I trying to install two bluetooth radios (by enabling centrino bluetooth) on my thinkpad or something?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps I should uninstall the intel bluetooth thing...

thanks!

thinkpad T410 2516-CTO
Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1

[Neil]

I don't have any experience or knowledge with the technology, but here is how Intel describes it:

http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/w ... 032541.htm

A quick scan of that page seems to indicate that it is software that, with supported hardware, gives bluetooth a higher throughput by utilizing the 802.11 wireless protocol. It kind of combines the wifi and bluetooth adapters, as I read it. Someone else that actually knows something about it will probably prove me wrong.

[albo]

thanks neil. sounds like you're on the right track. I'm still confused about the how this software layer would interact with non-intel hardware. or perhaps it doesn't. Let's see if someone else comes along who might know...

[Neil]

The linked page says that some of the supported Intel wifi products "require a 3rd party Bluetooth radio for Bluetooth 3.0+HS to function. Ensure that your 3rd party Bluetooth adapter is Bluetooth 3.0+HS capable and enabled before installing the Intel® drivers."