Wireless Vs Wired

[reith 0]

I'd just like people's opinions on a simple fact of connectivity, stability, and speed on the aforementioned topics. I consider myself quite well versed in networking and computers, and although I am well aware that my nForce NVIDIA mobo is more suited to network as it provides a much better network management than any of the wireless plug in cards or usb adapters that I've yet to see, I always figured 56mbps was more than enough than what I would need for my internet connection (considering it's capped at 5mbps tops with the best of conditions). Even if it were operating at 30mbps having 3 computers on the wireless network, two of which are almost constantly on and playing games or what not (whatever my wife and I happen to be doing at the time) that would make it roughly 15mbps each when the two are on, much over the cap of my internet. Yet once I've switched, especially with two computer's in close proximity attempting to access outside, I find I get very laggy at times (confirmed to be network lag/connection and not graphics) that make little sense to be laggy at, ie playing Team Fortress two and things freeze and twitch for a second then suddenly speed up and resume, which is a very clear sign of lag in games. We are also avid MMO players and we play Final Fantasy XI a lot as well, and we will most often find ourselves in a laggy situation when going to populated areas. My torrents seem to rape our bandwidth something fierce as well, to the point that even after stopping and closing off all p2p connections, I will have to reset my router to clear out the cache and anything that seems to be clogging it up. Afterwards it seems to run fine, but then it seems to get bogged down again. I'm certain nobody else is on the network or hijacking it because I have incredibly good security on it and a monitor that tells me what IP and what location is on the network and only the three computers with their specific codes can get on, and no redundant codes are allowed. I recently got fed up, put the router in my room (it was in the living room between both sectors with computers) and hooked up actual lines to it rather than keeping wireless active. I've always had Excellent connectivity of about 95% or higher on both computers, so I'm not sure why exactly it was so laggy. But with it connected to my computer, everything is much noticeably faster, I'd like to say nearly twice as fast (when surfing the internet and downloading) but I'm not sure if that's correct because I've had limited time to actually test.I have a Linksys Wireless G router, a Linksys Wireless N usb adapter, and a Wireless G Belkin adapter, both of them USB, while the other computer is a D-Link pci card. Is it because they're USB? Prior to my wife moving in with me a while back I was the sole internet user and as such I never seemed to lag. There was the odd and rare drop in signal but it just never seemed to happen as much as it had lately, I feel jipped that I bought two USB adapters just to keep the wireless, only to have to link back up with it. Then again wireless is more annoying at times due to both computers taking a while to find and establish connections where as when it's already plugged in I'm ready to go from the start. Is there anything I can do to fix this, or am I sorta stuck until the technology catches up even more? I'm just surprised that it's been like this, when we used to be land lined connected in our old place we'd get 5mbps transfers over something like AIM (not direct network transfer) then with wireless it was maybe 200-700kbps very random and changed often with only that program being used by the internet. The router is good and never seemed to go bad, and I believe I updated it's firmware to most recent (which is like a year ago I think) so I'm fairly certain there's no problems there. It just seems to me that wired works so much better. I vaguely recall that fluorescent lights mess with the wifi signals, if that's true then that would be a prime cause why our internet is so slow, but the other computer is faster due to it not only being closer than ours to the router, but also having nearly no interference from those bulbs, of which there are about 7 on the way to our room, and even in our room.

[fffanatics 0]

Personally, i prefer both. It just depends on what i am currently doing and where i currently am. If i am transferring large files, wired connections will always be much quicker and more efficient. This is because the pipe they have is much larger 1 gbps rather than 56 mbps. However, if i am playing a game i dont need that much speed so i can do wireless with no issues and same thing with torrents. Plus, i am watching tv and just want to be online, wireless is much easier and comfortable to use.

[bradley908 0]

Some basic issues courtesy of about.com

InstallationEthernet cables must be run from each computer to another computer or to the central device. It can be time-consuming and difficult to run cables under the floor or through walls, especially when computers sit in different rooms. Some newer homes are pre-wired with CAT5 cable, greatly simplifying the cabling process and minimizing unsightly cable runs.
The correct cabling configuration for a wired LAN varies depending on the mix of devices, the type of Internet connection, and whether internal or external modems are used. However, none of these options pose any more difficulty than, for example, wiring a home theater system.

After hardware installation, the remaining steps in configuring either wired or wireless LANs do not differ much. Both rely on standard Internet Protocol and network operating system configuration options. Laptops and other portable devices often enjoy greater mobility in wireless home network installations (at least for as long as their batteries allow).

Cost
Ethernet cables, hubs and switches are very inexpensive. Some connection sharing software packages, like ICS, are free; some cost a nominal fee. Broadband routers cost more, but these are optional components of a wired LAN, and their higher cost is offset by the benefit of easier installation and built-in security features.
Reliability
Ethernet cables, hubs and switches are extremely reliable, mainly because manufacturers have been continually improving Ethernet technology over several decades. Loose cables likely remain the single most common and annoying source of failure in a wired network. When installing a wired LAN or moving any of the components later, be sure to carefully check the cable connections.
Broadband routers have also suffered from some reliability problems in the past. Unlike other Ethernet gear, these products are relatively new, multi-function devices. Broadband routers have matured over the past several years and their reliability has improved greatly.

Performance
Wired LANs offer superior performance. Traditional Ethernet connections offer only 10 Mbps bandwidth, but 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet technology costs little more and is readily available. Although 100 Mbps represents a theoretical maximum performance never really achieved in practice, Fast Ethernet should be sufficient for home file sharing, gaming, and high-speed Internet access for many years into the future.
Wired LANs utilizing hubs can suffer performance slowdown if computers heavily utilize the network simultaneously. Use Ethernet switches instead of hubs to avoid this problem; a switch costs little more than a hub.

Security
For any wired LAN connected to the Internet, firewalls are the primary security consideration. Wired Ethernet hubs and switches do not support firewalls. However, firewall software products like ZoneAlarm can be installed on the computers themselves. Broadband routers offer equivalent firewall capability built into the device, configurable through its own software.

[Mafiabigboy 0]

I have never been a big fan of Wireless, infact i almost never recommend it. But the sad fact is nowdays, if your not in the position to have a wired network wireless is the only way.When we only had 54G i had issues running a network game of UT over a wireless network, but now on the new N Hardware its possible,As it goes i suppose its about what you can afford cables are cheaper and todays switches are reasonably prices, compared to wireless speeds, you loose reliability and speed for the freedom. Everything comes at a cost

[csp4.0 1]

I prefer wired, it is alot more reliable and most of the time it is just 'plug and play' while with wireless you'll have to set it up, which may take a long time. Also, some people might hack your wireless and steal your internet.I remember when i used to have a wireless network. there was just too much lag in the games i was playing (cnc: renegade).I recommend wired networks until people have perfected wireless technology, there is just too many things that can go wrong...

[headstrongbrian 0]

for an office network i would prefer to have a wired setup it is easy and you know where all of the computers are going to go so all you need is just plug and play. You don't need to worry about somebody taking the wireless bandwidth. For the home use i would use a wireless set up unless you are a boring person that keeps your computer in one spot for years and years. I have laptops that i take everywhere so i need the wireless connectivity to move around in my house. My desktop likes to be moved every once in a while so i would use a wireless pci if i needed to so i don't have to rerun my wires.

[Mailoreothoriel 0]

It really depends a lot on how you want to use your connection, if it's for some kind of office and closed/fixed space, I go for Wired. But if you use laptops and such, I go for wireless... That's just my view on it =D.Also, wireless can be troublesome sometimes. So take wired if you're not moving your computers anywhere

[williamm 0]

I prefer wired over wireless. For a couple of reasons. You get a better connection when you are on wires. Of course you would be a little organized instead of running wires on the floors. you would take the time and drill the holes and run the wires through the celling and drop them down the walls and install out lets for the cat 5 cables. I like installing Networks. I install and fool with mine all the time. Now when it comes to wireless yeah i like using it when i have my laptop when i'm laying down in bed working on an assignment for college i like to bring it in with me and be able to do that, but when my laptop is docked i use a wire, that way when i use it there i get a faster connection. Things also intefer with wireless. Most of the time its flawed. I would not recommend useing wireless full time. If you are to lazy to run wires you shouldn't be fulling with networks, how else would we be able to run our internet, there has to be a wire in there somewhere.

[Saint_Michael 3]

I don't know, after two years of having a wireless connection I would have to say depending on your needs it could be either or and depending on how your set up your home networks as well. Of course if you were building a home or renovating one then maybe you be able to set it up to have the whole house networked with well placed routers and network hub. With today's internet use you need a fast connection dial up and DSL just don't cut it any more, but of course if people cut down on the downloading and uploading are large amounts of data and of course cut down on watching videos then having a wireless connection will suit your needs.

[Stridr 0]

Wired for casual surfing, and all the wired access for more critical internet connections, such as servers or if you want less interuption during online video streaming. It all depends on whether stability is crucial, or convenience of wireless routing comes first, in for example, your home.

[rayzoredge 2]

I find it AWESOME that after almost 9 months, OP hasn't gotten his question answered yet.

I'm going to say that there's a bottleneck between USB 2.0 and the wireless adapters that are supposed to operate at a cap of 54MBps. USB 2.0 has a peak transfer rate of 60MBps, but since there's overhead, the reality is somewhere more around 10-16MBps. (Source) That could be a potential problem... if you're still having problems to this day.

I always love to connect myself with the hideous mess of wires if I can afford to run CAT5 cables around the home... the direct connection is always great for desktops. (Pro-tip: run them downstairs in the basement and poke holes where you need connectivity. ) For laptops, I don't really bother since most come with wireless support (unless the card dies on you), and the speeds are actually not that bad for gaming and such depending on how many people are trying to feed network traffic through the router and what kind of games they're trying to play.

Torrents KILL bandwidth... I love my free stuff, but it's very frustrating when it brings your Internet surfing to a literal crawl. That's when you can opt to leave your computers on overnight to do your downloads... but that also hikes up the electricity bill...

[Evolix 1]

Wireless is great, depending on your wireless network speed. My laptop has built in wireless, and is quite good. It can connect to networks in range from 10-15m (thats perfect, since my router is downstairs of my house). Wireless, is the best way of connecting to the internet, its easier and saves time than getting the wires connected and everything. With wireless technology, you can access your internet anywhere in your house. Most people use Wireless Routers these days, rather than modems.If your working with wired internet, you can't go all around your house because, for example; if you are downstairs and want to go upstairs you'll have to disconnect everything, bring up all the wires and connect it again. This wastes a small amount of time, oh well. But the thing about wired is, the speed is 100mbps (well, on mine it is). The internet will be much faster, since wireless only can be up to 54mbps.So, there is no 'winner' of wireless vs wired. They're both good. If only they were mixed together, it will make the best internet connected ever.

[harrison858 0]

I'd use wired if I need a fast connection for something important. I think wired is more secure versus wireless.I would use wireless for gaming, etc, because you dont need that much of a speed. Also, lets say you're in an office building and you need to give someone a piece of paper like 14 floors away. Wireless printing comes in handy then -.^So really it depends on what you're doing.

[Variablez 0]

WIRED

This allows quick fast and secure browsing anywere the router is using the blue, red, grey, or yellow ethernet cable. I think this is great for when your indoors, because its super fast compared to wireless!

 

WIRELESS

Wireless is great for outdoors and awayfrom the router, at times its unsecure and slow, but what the hey, at least you can move around without lugging your router with you!

[Spyda 0]

I prefer to have a wired connection because then you don't have to go through as many steps if any to be able to do certain things on games or things like hosting a server. However Wireless can be rather useful when you have more than one computer in the house and you don't want to run a cable up to them all. But wireless internet can begin to bog down if there are to many connections going to it at least to my knowledge.