When tethering from the iPhone We have several ways: use the USB connection, Bluetooth or create a Wi-Fi Hotspot. Of these three alternatives, which is the one that best suits us at all times?
For the tests, an iPhone 5s and an iPad Air connected to the LTE network of the AT&T operator were used, so results may vary if we change operator or device.
Transfer speed
When we want share internet access that our iPhone has, one of the aspects that interests us the most is the transfer speed, that is, the speed with which the data is loaded on the new device.
It is clear that the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB connection They are going to offer us very different transfer speeds since each one has been created with a different purpose. Below you have the upload and download bandwidth and the latency of each of the connections:
- Wi-Fi: 13,62 mbps downstream, 2,56 mbps upstream, and 115 ms ping.
- USB: 20 mbps downstream, 4,76 mbps upstream and 95 ms ping
- Bluetooth: 1,6 mbps downstream, 0,65 mbps upstream, and 152 ms ping.
It is clear that the USB is the one that offers the best bandwidth, followed by Wi-Fi whose performance decreases with distance. Lastly, there is Bluetooth, a communication protocol that is too short to share an Internet connection but is an equally valid option.
Autonomy
Share internet It is one of the tasks that uses the most battery In our iPhone, therefore, it is convenient to take this aspect into account before starting to use the terminal as an Internet access point.
Wi-Fi is the connection that consumes the most battery while Bluetooth is the least expensive. The USB has a negligible expense since having the cable plugged into another device (a laptop, for example), the iPhone will start to recharge its battery automatically.
Which one are we left with?
More or less you already know where the shots go taking into account the parameters of bandwidth and autonomy but still there are other details that can help us choose between one option or another.
- USB: It is the fastest method, it does not consume battery but we can only share the Internet on a single device at the same time and it also has to have a USB port. We also do not have to forget about the Lightning cable or we will not be able to use this way of sharing the Internet.
- Bluetooth: It is the slowest method and consumes less battery than Wi-Fi (effect that is canceled by longer charging times). Again, we can only share the Internet with a single device at a time.
- Wi-Fi: it offers a good bandwidth that we can also share with several devices at the same time (up to 10 depending on the operator). Of course, we must not forget that the battery drain using this method is quite pronounced.
Taking into account all these data, now we will have to weigh the pros and cons of each method to choose the one that best suits each situation.
In my case, I have always used Wi-Fi for being the fastest method and not having dependence on any cable, so yes, the times I have had to share the Internet from the iPhone has been for a short period of time.
I don't know if it happens to someone else, but in my 4S when I tethering via Wifi the phone gets extremely hot, more than when I'm reading pages in Safari with Wi-Fi activated or even when I use a GPS app.
It is normal, the use of 3G is combined with Wi-Fi and high battery consumption. All that enclosed in such a small body makes it heat up and as there are no dissipation mechanisms, you notice it very soon in a noticeable increase in temperature.
Is there a way to do Thetering without JB? because my operator does not allow internet sharing
To do Thetering you don't need JB at all
Ass, as Jesus said, you don't need JB to do Thetering. If your operator does not allow you to share the internet, it will not do so even if you have JB.
If they do that, it is because probably the Thetering service or 'internet sharing' will be priced separately and you have to notify the company to activate that service.