which is best ethernet or wifi?

Answer 1

Best for what?

It's like asking whether a horse is better than a camel without telling us if you intend to travel long distances in the desert.

As everyone has said there are strengths and weaknesses to both options. What do you want to use it for?
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Answer 2

Depends on the environment & what the users needs are. Both have their pro's & con's. Wi-fi is convenient, but not the stablest connection around. I've found it to be particularly annoying with programs that rely on stable connections like Access. If someone is logged into an Access database remotely stored upon a server & their connection drops... it locks up the entire database... giant PITA! Nor is it as secure as ethernet since there's always someone out there looking to figure out the better mousetrap. Though ethernet is just as vulnerable, it's just in a different way. IMHO the only true network security comes from using a pair of wiresnips.

Answer 3

really depends on what your needs are - if you want the comfort of sitting in the garden (providing your access point can get that far - it usually can - for eg I find theres at least three neighbours living near me with wide open wifi access points) and still be able to surf the net/access your lan then wifi is the way to go - you have to remember to secure it though otherwise *anyone* can drive to the front of your house, connect his/her laptop to your lan, then proceed to do dodgy stuff like pedofillia, hacking, crime etc. When the cops come knocking on the door its YOUR ip that will show on the their logs - negligance is no excuse! Asside from the security issue that many people seem to be blissfully unaware off there is also bandwidth issues - if you are copying large amounts of data over your LAN or you stream a lot of movies, you will get a lot of dropouts, interferance etc that will slow and speed your connection up (this is normal), so movies stream a bit choppily, and copying/moving large files across the LAN will be slow - but some people can live with that so it really is personal preference (whats good for one person is no good for another)

I personally favour etherenet - cant go wrong with a good ole fashioned wired network - with cat 5 cable and the right router you can get 1Gb/s (2Gb/s on a switched router) connections on the LAN - your gonna get nowhere near that amount of throughput on wireless. But then if you arent shifting that much data around you might find wifi is good enough for your needs. Think about how you want to use your netowrk at home - that will govern whether you want wifi or ethernet - remember you can also get hybrid networks - at home i use 100Mb/s routers between pcs and xbox in the living room, and an access point upstairs for the bedroom xbox and laptop (I use the xbox to stream movies in the living room and bedroom - you can still stream ok on 54Mbs wifi, but if i have to copy large files i manually plug the laptop into the wired part of the network - otherwise it takes too long - when i say big i mean movies like 700mb ish in size).

Answer 4

Ethernet is a more stable speed since it's over a fixed media, and can go up to speeds of 100mbs on the proper network

WiFi(802.3) is better if you are far from the router or hub, and don't want to run a cable. It can get up to a theoretical max of 54mbs(Unless using newer technology which can double it to 104mbs)


All in all, Ethernet can give you better constant performance, while WiFi gives you some conveinence.

Answer 5

If you are static and near your internet source (modem or cable) then use ethernet, its much faster and less flaky. There are potential security issues with WiFi, although more recent encryption have improved no end.

Use Wifi if you want to run more than one PC (in another room for example) and you can't (or don't want to) run an ethernet cable.

Answer 6

wifi is 802.11b/a/g not 802.3 I think that is bus topology or something lol.. Anyways they are both fine ways of networking, with the soon release of 802.11n, speeds will be at a throughput of 200Mb/s+, The highest ethernet has is a gigabit transfer rate, and that is still pretty new and somewhat expensive.. At the house here I use a ethernet port on the back of my wireless router for my desktop, and I use the wireless for my g/f's laptop.. Best of both worlds..

Answer 7

It just depends on the environment, purpose, and cost. For example, it was more cost effective for us to link two buildings using a wireless link. If you have a situation where you can use either technology, than a wired Ethernet connection offers a faster transfer rate using a dedicated medium.

Answer 8

ethernet has much faster transfer rates and throughput,
wifi is more portable.
so, it really depends on what you are wanting to do.

Answer 9

if you dont need wifi, then ethernet is faster and alot safer

Answer 10

ethernet because unlike wifi you can use the microwave and still be able to use the interweb.