From our core point of view, There is no doubt that wifi is more useful than an Ethernet cable,
But in the case of a strong connection, Ethernet plays a vital role in providing lag-free high-speed Internet.
But how and why?
Well, in this exhaustive article, we’ve shared a complete post about wifi vs Ethernet, where you can learn,
- What is wifi?
- What is an Ethernet?
- How Much Faster Is Ethernet?
- Wifi vs Ethernet
- Which One is The Better Option?
- And more.
What is wifi?
In a simple explanation, wifi is the most used wireless networking technology that allows all network-supported devices such as laptops, computers, smart mobile devices to interface with the Internet.
The connection of wifi is stabilized with a wireless adapter’s help to make hotspots in the vicinity of a wireless device like a router. The router is connected to an internet server that allows users to access the technology.
What is an Ethernet?
An Ethernet is a traditional cable technology that allows you to connect devices in a wired area network or broad area network.
Using an Ethernet cable, you can connect various devices such as computers, laptops, printers within buildings, homes, and even small thorp.
Users can nearly co-operator with the term “Ethernet” with the physical connection between a router or computer.
Ethernet-supported devices have an Ethernet port where the user can plug in one end of a cable and connect the other to a router.
How Much Faster Is Ethernet?
Ethernet is comparatively faster than wifi, But wifi has gotten much quicker because of the latest technology. We can notice the new standards like 802.11n and 802.11ac that provide a maximum internet speed of 866Mbps and 150Mbps.
The mentioned speed would be the maximum speed for all wireless devices to share, so you’ll not get the full speed when you use the Internet.
But the use of wireless technology has become more popular than an Ethernet cable for handling most of the daily tasks.
If we look at the Ethernet cable technology and have a Cat6 cable, we’ll see that a wired Ethernet connection will have the ability to provide up to 10Gbps internet speed.
You should always remember that the accurate maximum speed of an Ethernet cable will depend on the type of Ethernet cable you’re using.
If you have a 1Mbps internet plan and try to use the Internet via an Ethernet cable, you’ll get the full speed from your service provider, while there is always a chance of low speed when you use wireless technology.
Moreover, Ethernet will be the perfect option if you want to transfer your files as fast as possible between your two devices connected to the cable, but make sure the devices you’re using have the fast file sharing configuration.
When Ethernet Play An Important Role?
It’s important to know when Ethernet will be best for you, so here we’ve made a list of few points:
- If you need to stream from a media server on your network, an Ethernet connection will help you get the fastest speed and boost up the overall speed.
- When you have too many devices back up to a shared hard drive or back server, you can transfer your backup via Ethernet connection, and It will go faster than wireless.
To take the real test of your Ethernet connection between wifi connection, you can try transferring a large file between two devices while they’re both connected on Ethernet.
Or while they’re both connected to wifi, you will see the real result in front of you and the difference between their speed.
Wifi vs Ethernet:
When it comes to comparing them, the first thing you will need to know how Ethernet is different from wifi. Let’s clear it merely below.
We already have mentioned that wifi is a wireless connection, and you don’t need to have any physical wire to connect with your devices from your router.
As opposed to Ethernet, you will need to have a physical wire called cable to make a strong connection with your devices.
With the advent of wireless technology in the market, Ethernet technology has come down drastically. But they still have a lot of influence!
We are now going to discuss their speed, Latency, reliability, security, and more.
Speed: If you’re using a significantly lower internet line from your IPS, you’ll not be able to download your file faster, stream video perfectly or play online games.
Ethernet: This traditional wired technology offers a better speed as compared to wifi. But wifi will be enough for you if you’re using the Internet on your mobile phone.
However, if you use Ethernet cable on your computer or laptop, it is possible to get quite a considerable speed, around 100Mbps to 1000Mbps.
But everything changed with the preamble of 802.11ac. This is the latest wireless standard that provides internet speed up to 3.000Mbps. So we all can say that nowadays, wifi speeds are much better in terms of speed.
Latency: This is one of the most noticeable factors that we cannot ignore. To know a bit about Latency, we can say that it’s the delay token by the traffic from a device to its object.
In the gaming world, it’s called Ping. Ping is too essential when a user plays a game online and needs a rapid response from the server, and this is where Ethernet plays a massive role in offering a hassle-free quick server response.
Wifi can be a suitable option for you if you’re playing a simple online game that requires low ping, download, or watch videos.
Reliability: Do you know why most gamers prefer Ethernet while wifi gives up to 3,000Mbps speed?
Yes, you are right. Wifi always comes with disconnecting issue, while Ethernet guarantees you a lag-free and robust connection.
You’ll always get a poor connection if you use your wifi wirelessly. So it is better to use an Ethernet cable during playing an online game that requires a massive number of ping.
Read also: best wifi router through concrete walls
Although wifi is convenient, wifi suffers signal interference due to many factors. If you put your router in any wrong position, you will likely observe distraught signaling when you pass from one room to another room.
But placing your router in the perfect position may help you minimize the problem, but it will not work as well perfect as Ethernet.
Security: This is an essential part when it comes to comparing wifi between Ethernet.
To prevent any potential hacking or online attack from a hacker, you have to make sure you’re using a secure way that protects your privacy.
In this case, Ethernet can help you a lot because Ethernet allows you to physically connect your devices that might be a big challenge to hackers to hack your devices.
On the other hand, wifi is not as secure as Ethernet and tends to be hacked your data, and it’s also not recommended for a secure connection.
Summing-Up:
Although Ethernet is a traditional way of connecting the Internet to the devices, however, it’s clear that Ethernet offers a lag-free, high ping internet speed compared to wifi.
At the last moment of providing a useful article about wifi vs Ethernet, we’re confident that you now have a piece of proper knowledge about this topic. So choose one depending on your needs!