Title is self explanatory. For background, I am currently running Asahi Linux on my M1 MBP. Whenever I connected the hotspot without data being turned on, it somehow still worked like any regular wifi. I even ran several updates in the system and downloaded multiple apps in this wifi, which I find it amusing. But out of curiosity, I wanted to know from you guys that what could the reason be for this.

EDIT: So after following the advice of jet@hackertalks.com, I relized that the hotspot is using the network of my University’s Wi-Fi, which explains why the hotspot worked even with the data turned off.

  • DM294@lemm.eeOP
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    19
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    8 months ago

    Ok, so after running traceroute, it seems that the hotspot is using the network of my university Wi-Fi, which my phone is connected with. EDIT: Thanks a lot! Forgot to thank you for the advice 😅

    • magikmw@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      8 months ago

      It’s interesting on it’s own, since I do remember my android phone disconnecting from wifi when enabling the hotspot. If I understand it right, this type of wifi bridge requires two radios to work efficiently, but it may have changed in latest Wi-Fi standards. Curious nontheless.

      • Petter1@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        This was my thinking as well, I did not know that there are phones that can be connected to a wifi network while hosting their own wifi network 🤔 On my iPhone, the only way to achieve Internet on pc while phone is on wifi, is to connect the phone via USB to the PC and share the internet connection this way.

        • Liforra
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          8 months ago

          Most androids can, samsung hides it behind a setting called “wifi bridge” and some hide it in dev settings but its almost always default off

    • auth@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      8 months ago

      Which phone is that? I thought that most phones could not create a hotspot and at the same time connect to a WiFi network.

      • DM294@lemm.eeOP
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        No idea about that, tho even my old phone, which was Xiaomi 12T, could do that.