I am currently using USB tethering for Windows 7 from my android phone to get an internet connection on my laptop. How is the speed of USB tethering as compared to other tethering options like Bluetooth or hotspot?
For general application, there is a negligible speed difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when utilized for tethering phone data connection. The reason is that typical cellular data service data rates are slower than the theoretical constraints of Bluetooth.
However, USB tethering has much faster internet speeds than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi hotspot especially because of the use of USB cable. Also, there is no chance that your net connection will be used by other laptops (possible for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). The following are some of the speed test results:
• Wi-Fi tethering – 13.62 Mbps download speed, 2.56 Mbps upload speed
• USB tethering – 20 Mbps download speed, 4.76 Mbps upload speed
• Bluetooth tethering – 1.6 Mbps download speed, 0.65 Mbps upload speed
