If you have a home network, you need to decide whether to have wired or wireless devices connected to it. For standard use, such as browsing the internet on your laptop or phone, wireless connections will suffice. However, if you have audio or video equipment on your network, you may find wired connections serve you better.
Your devices can connect via an Ethernet cable or wirelessly to your home network. The difference in speeds between these types of connections is not largely significant. However, for many uses, wired connections outperform wireless.
Wireless connections offer mobility for your devices. However, these connections can have issues of latency. Latency refers to the delay in communicating between the device and its network destination. Any delay can cause problems when playing games online or streaming video.
Another potential issue with wireless is the amount of data it can transfer. The best 802.11ac connections can reach speeds up to 866.67 Mb/s. However, Ethernet with Cat6 cables can reach up to 10 Gb/s, in theory, while more commonly used Cat5 can attain 1 Gb/s.
For home networks that require consistent, fast speeds, wired connections may be a better option.
Wired connections offer multiple benefits for home networks. First, because you have to connect directly to the router, they don’t require passwords as wireless connections do. If you’ve tried to type in a password for every device on your network, you know how much of a headache this chore can be.
Additionally, wired connections always have a direct link to the network. They don’t have the same latency that wireless connections have, and they are just as fast and stable, even if you have a device far from the router. With wireless connections, distance can negatively impact speed and connection of the device.
Wireless connections work well for mobile phones and laptops that need basic browsing. However, if you have game consoles or computers you play online with, wired connections will keep you in the game and avoid dropped network signals.
For streaming movies and shows, wired networks offer better connections and reduce the issues of buffering that may plague those who try to stream on iffy wireless connections.
Find out more about how to get a wired home network for the best streaming of your home media. Reach out to one of our professionals at Experience Audio Video Inc. to get properly arranged network connections to optimize your media experience. We’ve helped many other homeowners in Southern California to set up their home media and automation systems to have the ultimate convenience and comfort. Let us help you by contacting us today.
Sources
https://www.howtogeek.com/70494/what-kind-of-ethernet-cat-5e6a-cable-should-i-use/
https://www.experienceaudiovideo.com/residential-solutions/
https://www.experienceaudiovideo.com/contact-us/
https://www.howtogeek.com/217463/wi-fi-vs.-ethernet-how-much-better-is-a-wired-connection/