The issue being the antennas.
antenas for wifi, or for lte?
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Both. A Wifi antenna inside an expansion card is possible, but might not have good signal quality. There’s no buildin LTE antenna inside the Framework laptop, so you’d need to DIY something. (There’s also the problem with having a SIM slot)
Regarding AirTag trackers, as far as I know they are only compatible with iPhones but Tile trackers work with iPhones and Android phones (via bluetooth). A number of laptop makers (Lenovo, HP, ASUS, INTEL, etc.). are embedding Tile trackers in their laptops. That way you don’t have to figure out a way to attach a tracker and nobody could easily separate the tracker from the laptop. Might be a nice thing for Framework laptops. They need to be powered 24/7 so plugged in as an expansion card module might not be practical.
@Josh_Cook Sorry for the late reply but i was made an engineering manager at my day job and kinda dropped this project. I can provide you all of my altium and solidworks files if you want, just contact me at tim+framework @ 42-e.com.
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Could a link to the module and a 3d printer file for the module be provided? In that case I could assemble it myself.
For anyone interested in exploring LTE at low data rates, there are some new CAT1.bis modules getting released that are quite small and can operate using a single antenna: LTE EG800Q-EU | Quectel
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The EG800Q-EU is an LTE Cat 1 module optimized specially for M2M and IoT applications. Designed in a compact and unified form factor and based on 3GPP Rel-14 LTE technology, it delivers maximum data rates of up to 10Mbps downlink and 5Mbps uplink.
Now those are some quite harsh limits, 1MB/s in an ideal setup would only allow for emergency or remote-text sessions. (Or even sending small data frequently to a remote server)
Thanks for the link, even though it doesn’t fit my requirements. 
I think these might be of interest
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/2261799925220921.html
I feel like both of these could be combined to make an expansion card (though it will definitely stick out
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I had already thought of this, based on another board as it only has the 4 standard USB pins. It would be quite simple to replace that plug with a usb c type, but fiddly. I made a mock up of what it would look like. I decided not to proceed because I didn’t like the external antennas. You would have to remove the serial component on the bottom of the board, otherwise it would be too deep.
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what is wrong with external antennae? Old school is not necessarily bad
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I agree to the above suggestion,- I dont mind antennas, especially when the signal gets stronger and reliable that way.
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Also doing a PCB antenna is harder and more susceptible to interference, I have some prototypes coming that just use a standard SMA Jack.
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Because, I’ve been working on one that doesn’t require external antennae.
It protrudes around 1 1/2 inches, the sim card slots in at the front end.
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You might be able to, Idk, develop an extremely-long range RFID system. Honestly, this can be quite large, as it can be hidden behind the display.
An RFID sticker could also provide a unique identifier that this is your computer, without having to authenticate or have it on.
Still, there are ways to make things fit.
For example: Man turns his AirTag into a card that fits in wallets - HardwareZone.com.sg
This reverse engineering blog, Apple AirTag Reverse Engineering - Adam Catley
It won’t be as compact as what @Moe_Wigs has planned out but pairing a USB 3.1 Type A to M.2 B-Key Board (ADT-WS15) and a USB 3.1 Type A Female to USB C Male (ADT UT1B-US4B) should work out. That would allow 5G Snapdragon X55 M.2 cards to be used. I think the price has pretty much bottomed out. Took about 3ish years to come down to the $100 price point. As the X62 cards are also appearing on Ali, I’d expect them to take about the same length of time to be just as affordable.
Source:
ADT-WS15 | adt.link
ADT-WS15 | AliExpress
ADT UT1B-US4B | adt.link
ADT UT1B-US4B | AliExpress
Snapdragon X55 M.2 Module | AliExpress
Snapdragon X62 M.2 Module | AliExpress
any more developments on this because this what i am looking for.
I know this has been asked several times, but the last time was some time ago. Are there any plans for a LTE (4/5G) modem module? it would make my life way easier. when i used a surface it was build in and that is one thing i really miss.
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Good evening all. I’m Jacob Eva, representing my company Liberated Embedded Systems Ltd.
We have been working on an LTE expansion card for quite some time now, and we’re excited to show some early renders of our module for your reference!
Top view.
Rear view.
This module will support 4G LTE speeds (no 5G, too expensive!) and has three connectors for antennas. The two larger connectors are SMA connectors, with the antenna on the left being the primary antenna, and the one on the right an optional diversity antenna. We also have a U.FL connector to allow for the connection of a GPS antenna (yes it works!) to the laptop. We have additionally included a nano SIM card holder on the bottom of the module to facilitate inserting a SIM card, so you can actually connect 
Might I also add, this will be open source hardware (design files will be released after completion), so no anti-consumer withholding schematics shenanigans
We expect to be performing some test trading of this module once we have put it to production, which should be within the next couple of months.
Therefore, for any of you who may be interested in purchasing our module, please email us at contact@liberatedsystems.co.uk to sign up for our newsletter (please also include your country of residence too so we know where our market will be!) so that we may notify you when it will be available to purchase
That’s all for now, technology for freedom.
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