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Basically I need this host Android to send and receive data to about 2 or 3 other phones at once, or at least very quickly sequentially. All Google searches seem to point to Bluetooth but is this not quite a high latency technology? I need something that's close to instant if possible.

Chucky
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    Why not use WiFi? Requires devices to be connected to the same network but it's high throughput & low latency. – zapl Nov 16 '12 at 15:26

1 Answers1

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but is this not quite a high latency technology?

Considering that people use Bluetooth keyboards and mice without issue, I would think that Bluetooth latency is OK. I suppose that it depends upon your description of "high latency technology" and where you measuring. For example, if you are including the time to pair the devices, that's different than if you are measuring latency only on the data transfer.

I need something that's close to instant if possible.

There are only so many radios available in Android, and the telephony radios (GSM or CDMA) will not be of use here. So, besides Bluetooth, your options are:

  • WiFi
  • WiFi Direct (for devices and OS versions that support it)
  • NFC (for devices and OS versions that support it, and if you are willing to tap the devices together)
  • Bluetooth Low-Energy (for devices that support it, and if the devices are very close together IIRC)

It's also not completely out of the question to use the Accessory Development Kit and do something via USB, though that requires the main device to be a USB host, and I have no idea whether or not the ADK would support this sort of structure.

CommonsWare
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