Conversation

things that are explicitly not allowed in this building:

  • fire
  • Wi-Fi
    things that are explicitly allowed in this building:
  • Bluetooth
  • Ethernet
  • USB
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@sodiboo Bluetooth is allowed but Wi-Fi not? neobot_thonk

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@hannah yes. explicitly, they ask that you use Bluetooth tethering or USB tethering if you want to use your phone as a mobile hotspot

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@hannah by extension, it is very clearly presumed that cellular/GSM connections are allowed.

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@sodiboo @hannah what the hell are they doing. bluetooth is on the same band as 2.4GHz wifi. similarly USB 3 has EMI close to where 5GHz wifi lies

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@charlotte @sodiboo @hannah is it maybe a “wifi uses static channels while bluetooths hops around a lot” thing? Like they have one very narrow 2.4GHz frequency band that they don’t want disturbed but disturbing it a little is okay, but if a wifi ap chooses a channel that overlaps with it that’s too much?

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@charlotte @hannah

bluetooth is on the same band as 2.4GHz wifi

wait really?? haha. lmao.

okay i’m gonna drop the mystery pretense: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi is explicitly banned (“do not bring your own router / do not use mobile hotspot over wifi”) because that band is used for critical functions in the nearby infrastructure. this is just, explained.
although literally “Wi-Fi is not allowed” is stated, i could read between the lines and assume that 5GHz and 6GHz Wi-Fi should cause no problems (but the layman might not know the difference; i think the simplification of “don’t use wifi because 2.4GHz” is useful advice)

but they explicitly recommend Bluetooth. and, huh, wouldn’t you know it, you are right. Bluetooth is also 2.4 GHz. that is amazing. some absolutely lovely wireless engineering here.

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@tay @hannah @sodiboo aren’t both effectively fixed for the span of a connection? which i would expect to take ~the same time either way

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@sodiboo It’s not disallowed… neobot_woozy

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@sodiboo @charlotte @hannah Bluetooth is lower power tho, and occupies less bandwidth

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@charlotte @hannah @sodiboo wait, I though bluetooth changes channel like, super frequenty?

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@LilaHexe @sodiboo @charlotte @hannah and i would assume that bluetooth’s rapid channel hopping would lower the chance of interfering with other things as opposed to wifi where its a common problem that multiple APs occupying the same channel fuck with each other (and are usually too stupid to resolve that themselves)

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