Originally Posted by
rjw242
How are hundreds of different laptops, tablets, and smartphones, with and without bluetooth and/or GSM capabilities, with varying antenna characteristics and 802.11 substandards, easier to quantify than cell phones? I can believe there are more cell phone models out there, but it still seems like you're talking about many thousands of possible combinations either way.
You are not allowed to operate bluetooth on board aircraft, the 801.11 standards all address effective radiated power so antenna differences are irrelevant unless you are operating under specific FCC licensing to allow above standard power (which laptops don't), laptops do not have built in FM receivers with local oscillators which may cause erratic loss of ILS glideslope indication, the list of difference goes on and on...
The laws boil down to "if not specifically allowed, it's forbidden" when it comes to RF emissions on aircraft. To be allowed requires expensive certification testing, and it's not worth it without a financial incentive to the airlines.