On: Ask HN: Why are there no 5G USB-C dongles for lapt...

[eptcyka]

You don't need to use WiFi to share an internet connection - it should be possible to tether your phone via cable and you can definitely share the connection via Bluetooth too. If your operating system vendor doesn't support this, please send them a support email inquiring as to why.

[mritzmann → eptcyka]

> via Bluetooth too

Wouldn't recommend, bluetooth has the disadvantage of being very slow.

[fyhfuhfg → mritzmann]

i wrongly assumed BT5 would be ok sharing a 3G connection recently... oh how wrong i was. BT is pure garbage.

after seeing the abysmal bandwidth i understood why every headphone becomes garbage when you start using the microphone channel.

there's no hope for BT and it must go on favor of anything else from this century.

[MayeulC → fyhfuhfg]

> i understood why every headphone becomes garbage when you start using the microphone channel

AFAIK, this is a codec issue, with most codecs not supporting bidirectional audio. IIRC, newer Bluetooth revisions tackle this.

[eptcyka → mritzmann]

USB2 speeds are better, but not that much.

[jeroenhd → eptcyka]

USB2 has a cap of 480mbps (includes overhead) while Bluetooth is stuck at several megabits per second (1.7 for Bluetooth 4, should be around double for Bluetooth 5).

WiFi can easily beat USB2 but Bluetooth certainly can't.

[mjevans → eptcyka]

USB2 can do 480mbit (connection at least) and has the advantage of working properly even in a noisy wifi area.

[seba_dos1 → eptcyka]

We're in 2023 though. I get about 1.6Gbps over my phone's CDC-NCM interface in iperf over USB 3.0.