Like will it make a difference?
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I’ll just say it, Wi-Fi is shit. Bandwidth, ping, consistency and reliability are all better on a cable
No it isn’t pointless and yes it will make a difference. An Ethernet cable isn’t going for half its bandwidth when a microwave turns on.
Get a better microwave.
Lol, not how that works. Still though, there’s interference everywhere. Portable phones, Bluetooth, and even some remote controls cause interference with 2.4GHz. Even USB 3.0 ports on the computer you’re using it on cause interference.
Yes, but, the microwave issue is particular to the specifications and requirements for microwaves.
Most people will believe a microwave is a Faraday cage and thus no wavelength greater than half the grid size can escape. As microwaves are 3cm they cannot escape.
The trouble is, it’s not that simple. The truth is that most microwaves have strict, but substantial leakage allowance. If and it’s a big if these days, they are actually local RF regulations compliant.
While a microwave may have a total leakage allowance measure in milli-watts. As milli-watts of 2.4Ghz is not going to pose any health hazards and won’t case any major RF interference on the larger scale such as would affect radio comes, datalinks and telecoms.
However, even a few leaked milliwatts of 2.4Ghz microwave is going to play havoc with your 2.4Ghz Wifi.
Not all microwaves are as bad as others. The way to test your own microwave is pretty simple. Just put your phone inside the microwave and test your Wifi signal. If you get one, your microwaves is shit. Get a better one. If you can’t see or contact the phone while it’s inside the microwave, chances are your microwave with not interfere with your Wifi.
Certainly not. Wifi lacks the bandwidth 1 Gb Ethernet has. If you have multiple devices, they all share the maximum bandwidth of Wifi, which is typically around 700Mb total, compared to each device getting a full 1Gb on Ethernet.
But if you have a separate bandwidth limitation - i.e your ISP is providing less bandwidth than WiFi can provide, then isn’t that the practical limiting factor?
The majority of households are not on 1GB connections.
Agree, however, with the top response re:ping and reliability, which is why I use ethernet over the 3metres from my laptop to the router, rather than WiFi.
Wi-Fi is half duplex, Ethernet is full duplex. Wi-Fi cannot send and receive simultaneously and it cannot detect collisions.
If I have the choice between wireless and wired, I will take wired 100% of the time.
Does the length matter? Like I have a 50ft ethernet cable, and my router is right next to my pc. Does the connection weaken if the cable is that long? Or that doesn’t matter at all?
It does, but it is also gradual over that length. Cat 5e cables are rated for full 1gbps at 100m, so in your case it’s not worth worrying about.
Should be no problem so long as it’s not damaged
You can get correctly sized cable on Amazon for $5 to $10. It will be worth it to not have the clutter on your desk.
50ft is fine. So long as the cable is of ok quality and less than 300ft you’re golden. Current cable isn’t like the old stuff where colling too much caused issues.
Also, this guy knows. Wireless is great, but wired is always better if possible.
Alright, I saw some people on other subreddits debating which type is better, Cat6 cat5e or wtv, does that matter much?
Cat5e or better is fine unless you’re trying to do a 10Gb network (if your router can handle that) or have long runs. Whatever you’ve got is probably fine.
does not matter for your purpose
So would half duplex be simplex?
Think of half-duplex like a walkie talkie. Communication both ways, but not at the same time.
Simplex is unidirectional like a river. That’s like basic keyboards (not the kind that have screens or get info from the PC), or a webcam or speakers.
Full duplex is like a phone call. Data is bi-directional and can be transferred both ways simultaneously.
Hope that helps with the terminology.
Ethernet all the way
In short:
- wifi can suffer from interference, especially in the 2.4GHz band where bluetooth and microwaves live too
- if you have older wifi gear or (small) iot devices and did not separate them, they could downforce the connection
- depending on the network interfaces, ethernet speeds can be up to 2.5Gbps for consumer, and 10Gbps for “prosumer” devices
- it is much easier to intercept wireless traffic, but it is generally decently encrypted nowadays (wpa2/3)
So it depends on what you want to connect: is it fixed, or mobile? do you live in a cloud of wifi? what about speed, security? Yes: It will make a difference , it is up to you to decide whether it’s worth it.
WiFi router in the room just means my devices 1 metre away use those ports instead of a switch. Wired is just better.
Depends on what you’re doing and what your WiFi is capable of. WiFi will never equate to cabled performance, but in a case like yours it may not matter. Do a speedtest with each scenario and see the difference - Unless you are doing online gaming, in which case stay cabled.
Never
I’ll just say it, it doesn’t matter.
Religiously, I’m in the wired camp as well. But practically, it doesn’t matter. Been playing GeForce Now over WiFi (distance: 4 meters with a wall in between) or watching Apple TV via WiFi (5m distance) and it has been totally flawless.
I’d still go for wired if it’s easy.
And I’m even on old gear that only supports WiFi 5.
It will always be better.