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Comment by rob74 | Hacker News Reader

Nice idea, but... for the cost of the PCB + components, the 3D printed case and the time (or extra cost) for soldering the components and the dongle onto the PCB, you could probably get a pretty decent Bluetooth mouse?

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But it would still be Bluetooth…

Probably better than Unifying... https://github.com/mame82/misc/blob/master/logitech_vuln_sum...

I care less about vulns, more about it actually working properly first. And for that, Bluetooth is bad. And pairing is pain.

Yeah but it'd be pairable and most of the wifi cards that framework ships with all have internal bluetooth.

i.e. you'd no longer need a dongle.

Is it even possible to buy a mainstream laptop without Bluetooth now? Maybe absolutely bottom of the barrel bargain basement sorts of laptops, but probably even those come with it considering how an Intel AX210, a good recent WiFi+BT card, can be had for $15-$20 retail and I’m sure is even cheaper for OEMs (plus, even cheaper crappier chipsets exist).

I don't think so unless you specifically look for it (some govt and def contractor orgs procure no-wireless laptops still for security reasons).

And the AX210 I'm pretty sure is the default Framework wireless card FWIW.

It also means I need to pair, and deal with all the hassle that brings. Much easier to just plug the unify dongle in somewhere rlse

Bluetooth is worse for polling rates and latency

If you're into twitch shooters you want wired anyway.

Bluetooth is more convenient if your laptop has the BT built in. Otherwise I guess go with your favourite mouse and plug in whatever dongle is appropriate.

Wireless mice are faster than wired mice*

*At least, LTT put out a video as such some years ago. Regardless, if you like wireless, BT is a bottom of the barrel solution.

That video is classic LTT; interesting idea terribly executed which leads to incorrect conclusions. The latency difference doesn’t matter to humans, but wired is faster.

How can they be? Assuming you're using a usb dongle, the interface is exactly the same. Only the wireless has an extra wireless path in the connection.

There's just no way it can be faster, only equal or slower.

The latency penalty for wireless instead of wired in modern gaming mice is <1ms now. The inaccuracy caused by cable drag will hurt your performance more.

My G502 isn't available as Bluetooth, and I just love that mouse. I'd be happy to deal with the cost if it means I can use it without eating up a port. For the target audience, the DIY aspect of this thiing is probably a feature, not a bug. Putting this thing together sounds like a fun Sunday afternoon project.

Actually, on Linux I saw some occasional benefits of using a dongle over Bluetooth. Wakeup from sleep would work with my keyboard that had a dongle for instance.

Not only on Linux.

What's the fun in that?

what about bluetooth headset?

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