Computer

Why Ethernet is faster than WiFi? Benefits of Wired Connection

Diwakar Kumar

Mar 05,2024
3 min read
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#Internet

To be connected to the Internet we use either wired or wireless mediums. The most common wireless standard is 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, the other one is via a LAN cable. We will be looking advantages and disadvantages of each medium, to better understand why Ethernet provides a stable and consistent connection.

Benefits of using WiFi

WiFi is a new technology that is used to transfer data wirelessly. WiFi provides good data rates without the hassle of wires. Initially, the data rates on WiFi 802.11b are significantly lower. Over course of time, the speeds improved as we progress towards 802.11g/a/n/ac/ad, but this reduces the range of the connection.

WiFi provides range, and hence we are free from wire net laying around in our workspace.
WiFi gives a decent amount of speeds up to 500mbps on 802.11ac standard.
One can easily roam around in the range and enjoy the connectivity
Data can be easily shared among all the connected devices. This enables the concept of wireless printing.

Drawbacks of using WiFi

There are great advantages of using WiFi as we have seen above, but along with that, there are plenty of disadvantages as well. One of the biggest disadvantages of WiFi is that it tends to lose signal strengths exponentially. This means the closer you are to the signal transmitter the best speeds you will get, and as you move away from the transmitter, the signal strength drops drastically, make it hard for you to surf the internet. This issue is faced on newer 802.11ac/ad standards, which operate over a frequency band of 5GHz.

WiFi strength drops drastically as moving away from the router/transmitter
WiFi connections do fluctuate due to the presence of other 2.4GHz devices such as Bluetooth etc. As 2.4GHz is a common frequency band used by most wireless devices. This causes signal interference that fades the signal and your internet fluctuates a lot.
The above issue can be solved by using WiFi standards such as 802.11ac/ad which operates over the 5GHz band. But these have really less range as compared to 2.4GHz.
On lower standards operating over 2.4GHz, the speed is limited to a max of 100mbps.
WiFi connections are prone to hacking, and someone can easily get into your system without your knowledge.

Benefits of using Ethernet Over WiFi

There are many advantages of Ethernet (LAN) over WiFi, bearing just one major drawback i.e. cables. LAN cables provide stable and rigid connections, having lower ping and less signal fading.

Ethernet can provide speeds up to 1GBPS.
These are the most reliable way of connecting to the internet.
If you can manage cables, then these provide you the most stable connection with much lower latency.
Ethernets are more secure than WiFi connections. No one can access your system if he or she doesn't have any physical connections.

These are some benefits of Ethernet LAN over WiFi connections. If you like your systems to be secure then it is highly recommended to go with the LAN cable system if possible.

Reasons Why Ethernet are fast and reliable than WiFi

Being a Wired media, the interference from other wireless devices such Bluetooth, etc is almost nill.
As Ethernets can support up to 1GBPS speeds (CAT5/6) you get the full throughput (potential) of your connection.
LAN being a wired media is less prone to hacking attacks.