Keep it simple

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I'm seriously thinking of getting a usbC-ethernet dongle for my mobile, for when I'm at my desk.

The Pantser

If you have wireless charging then you should definitely get the dongle. I have one for those times I need stability. Get a thin lightweight USB C extender so the dongle is not getting in the way.

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It does. Wifi uses MIMO (Multi-in, multi-out) to run multiple concurrent data streams over the same channel width, which overcomes individual channel bandwidth limitations (there's only so much radio frequency space to go around). Each stream having its own antenna, and having larger antennas, gives stronger signal/noise ratios, less retransmitted packets, and overall better connections.

A lot of those high end "gaming" routers are often oversold though.... MIMO improves throughput if you have an Internet link it can saturate; realistically even a midrange 2x2 802.11AC router will provide more wifi bandwidth than your internet does. And for gaming, they do nothing to improve latency no matter how many streams you run, as wifi's inherent delay (5-15ms) is pretty much a fixed quantity due to its radio broadcast time-sharing nature. The meme is correct. A $6 ethernet cable beats any and all wifi routers and client adapters, and always will.

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Can you not charge and use a single USB-C port at the same time?

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What fast of a WAN connection are you talking about?

I can't see how a midrange 802.11AC AP could suffice for a decent WAN connection. IMO you need at least 802.11ax

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Yes you can. You just need a dock instead.

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My PC, laptop, work laptop, are all wired using gigabit. But my laptop on wifi reach 1200Mbps so it's faster than cable!

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tell that to the $800 of copper running through my walls.

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Same lol. I get 800Mbps on Cat6, but 1100 on Wifi 6 with one of these fancy expensive 11000ax gaming routers that has all those antennas (antennae?).

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2x2 AC on 5ghz has an 867mbps max PHY throughput, which after a 50% derate for signal quality and overhead is still a very comfortable 400mbps.... typical cable internet is around 100 to 500mbps with a lot of places offering "1gbps" that it never actually reaches, so it's certainly sufficient for 90% of people.

If you have a very heavy multi user (6+ devices always on) household you may find some benefit from an AX 2x2 or 3x3 router just because it can handle congestion better.

MudMan

Six plus always-on devices is rookie numbers. I'm in the twenties, in a house with a handful of people.

And yes, the router I'm currently using is faster than all my wired devices over wifi, save for the two that pair some form of 2.5/10Gb ports. Also yes, my 1Gbps WAN hits about 900-ish on the downstream, with the ISP guaranteeing at least 800 as a legal requirement. I don't know if other regions allow ISPs to sell connections that run at 50% of the advertised speed, but... yeah, no, that's illegal here.

Honestly, full home coverage is the biggest issue I have. If this was a new house I would have wired it as a solution, but as it is, I only got the whole home fully connected with reliable speeds by spending a bunch of money in wireless networking gear.

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Hay $800 worth of copper, I found a 1000ft roll of shielded pure copper for $2.11 because someone misplaced the decimal point I know because it was listed for $2.1199 every thing was automated through amazon so they just shipped free shipping to, thank for listening $800 worth of copper, your the best.

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I mean I just have more than one port and can charge using the dedicated charging port.

What laptop are you using that makes it such an affair to use two USB-C ports?

Edit: I missed the “mobile” part

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If I'm reading the thread correctly, they're referring to a mobile phone which only has 1 USB port typically

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Well since the ruler’s out, 133 here. It’s hell.

Explanation: mostly younger roommates. Majority of bandwidth goes to just 21 personal machines, 4 MLO devices in particular, 1 of which uploads a fuck ton of cam stuff.

That said, most connections are idle. In particular there’s a chunky subnet of energy monitors with a low hum of usage.

I say “hell” because it takes 7 mesh nodes to reach everyone (while playing nice re: antenna strength in a congested building), maintaining security and privacy for everyone requires planning, and the second anything goes wrong everyone loses their minds.

Midnight Wolf

*Excluding running ethernet cables to every room through the attic, down the walls to wall jacks. Also the cost of the jacks, and the various switches needed for several rooms. And the contractor to do it all.

But hey for like $600 I have cat6a in basically every room so

MudMan

Woof, yeah, now you're talking.

I mean, once you factor in a phone, a computer, probably some gaming device running updates in the background, you're thinking at least three devices per person, plus whatever tablets, smart TVs, printers and IoT garbage you have lying around the house. And if you live on an apartment you're trying to service all of that alongside a bunch of other people trying to do the same.

Honestly, I struggled a lot to get a solid, cost effective mesh to solve the issue. I ended up going back to brute forcing it with a chonker of a router. No idea if that impacts my neighbours and, frankly, at this point it's every bubble of electromagnetic real estate for themselves.

It's honestly crazy how much networking you have to do at home these days, particularly if you work from home or throw in a NAS into the mix. I have no idea how the normies manage. Maybe they pay somebody to set it up?

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And the contractor to do it all.

Why wouldn’t you do it yourself?

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It's not all about the WAN speed. Having fast LAN speeds is always worth it.

This will help hugely with stuff like PC game streaming (from your PC to a tablet or TV for example), screen sharing to TV, file transfers over LAN, media servers, etc.

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Like, in an old house its a massive pain in the ass to run that, but still firmly in DIY territory.