this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2024
38 points (97.5% liked)

Ask Lemmy

27253 readers
1574 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try [email protected] or [email protected]


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I have been spending a lot of time working remotely with my laptop in random locations. And usually just plug my mouse in via the USB dongle. But just curious if there is a noticeable battery difference doing this? Seems like Bluetooth would be better because it's already powering other things anyway.

Edit: seems like it's Bluetooth. Going to have to change my habits. Thanks all.

top 18 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Magister 30 points 1 month ago

Bluetooth (BLE) is impressive, I have seen a BLE device being stuck to a window in an office, and with just the vibration of the glass, it created enough energy to send small data packets to a PC 10ft away.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago

I'm not sure of the answer, but I feel like other commenters are just guessing.

My reason for doubting the dongle is that Bluetooth is designed to be ultra-low-power. We're talking in the low milliwatts range.

I don't know how much power a 2.4gHz dongle uses, but I would be surprised if it was less than Bluetooth. However, in terms of laptop battery life, it's probably not significant enough to really matter. It's not like either one will cut your batteey life down a noticeable amount.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Assuming you mean for the battery life of the mouse: In my experience, USB dongle.

The communication protocol is simpler, and it's often unidirectional rather than BT which has bidirectional handshaking, etc.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've always assumed the dongle uses bluetooth as well. Why invent a new protocol when there's one that does exactly what you want?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Dongles are usually 2.4ghz radios, supposed to be lower latency and more stable than Bluetooth.

Edit- in reality though, bluetooth has come a long way and generally more convenient, users likely wouldn't notice a difference in day to day work. Personally I still wouldn't recommend gaming on a bluetooth connection when latency and micro stutters matter.

[–] subtext -2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

That’s the same frequency as one of the main Wi-Fi bands, ~~I would imagine they’re probably just reusing that technology for this communication~~

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

KB/mouse dongles use their own, often proprietary, protocols but on the same 2.4 GHz band. It's like how WiFi and Bluetooth both operate on 2.4 GHz but use different framing and protocols.

[–] subtext 5 points 1 month ago

Interesting, I did not know how widely used the 2.4GHz band is, thanks for correcting me!

[–] shonn 4 points 1 month ago

It's also the frequency of Bluetooth and your microwave because it's unregulated. Dongles aren't Wi-Fi or anything like it.

[–] givesomefucks 2 points 1 month ago

It's basically negligible tho.

Like I recently busted out Logitech mouse/keyboard combo with a dongle. They say for maybe five years and I've been using them for months now and the batteries are still what was in them.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not sure but im pretry sure both a so negligible its completely irrelevant

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Years ago it was relevant (like 15 years ago). I had a BT mouse then, and it was a power hog. So much so it was rechargeable with its own charging dock. And yes, when you walked away for the day you better dock it!

But I'm sure it's far, far better now. Logitech advertises some of their's as having 1 year battery like, on a single AA battery

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Less power on the side of the host computer or the mouse?

[–] Nibodhika 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bluetooth uses less power, because usually the polling rate is lower. This is from my mouse's manual:

Bluetooth mode has lower report rate compared to LIGHTSPEED. In Bluetooth mode, G604 has longer battery life as well.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I wonder if that's from power saving with BT mice.

The ones I've had would sleep much sooner than say the Logitech Unify ones, which I've always found really annoying.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

The batteries in my Logitech wireless trackball and keyboard last several months to more than a year. The keyboard in particular lasts really long. I have these on my work computer, so they are getting heavy use.

[–] Melonpoly 0 points 1 month ago

Dongle is better usually

[–] Magister -4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Now that we have BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) I'm pretty sure it is better than USB dongle. I have a BLE keyboard and a BLE trackball and never used the dongle so not sure how to compare.

Plus it saves 2 USB outlets on my PC :)

chatGPT says:

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) typically offers better power efficiency than USB dongles for keyboards and mice, especially when both are battery-powered.

Here’s how BLE compares to USB dongles in terms of power consumption for these devices:

Power Efficiency:
    BLE is designed specifically to use minimal power, especially in low-data-transfer devices like keyboards and mice. It uses an efficient sleep-wake cycle and keeps the radio off most of the time, which conserves energy.
    USB wireless dongles, while not as power-hungry as other wireless technologies, are usually less efficient than BLE because they often keep a more consistent connection with the device.

Battery Life:
    BLE devices typically offer longer battery life. A BLE-enabled keyboard or mouse can last from months to even a year or more on a single charge or set of batteries, depending on usage and the device’s power management.
    USB wireless peripherals, in contrast, may require more frequent charging or battery changes, although they are still relatively efficient.

Sleep and Wake Latency:
    BLE is optimized to quickly reconnect after sleep, so devices wake up quickly with minimal delay. Some USB wireless devices can also wake fast, but the energy consumption during idle periods is generally higher.

Compatibility and Usage:
    BLE is widely supported on modern devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones) without needing a USB port. USB dongles, however, need a USB-A or USB-C port (with an adapter) and are mostly used with PCs.

In general, BLE is better for devices where power consumption is critical, like battery-operated keyboards and mice. However, for some gaming or high-precision tasks, USB dongles may offer lower latency, which some users prioritize over battery life.