Really dumb internet speed question..........

cougarfreak · 12-11-2010, 12:37 PM

I know it's a dumb question, but I'm going to ask anyway. Will hooking a device into an ethernet port on a wireless router make the connection speed faster? I'm assuming if I do so, it will be able to take full advantage of the internet speed I pay for.

dawgfan · 12-11-2010, 12:45 PM

At the very least, it will be more consistent - any issues you might have with interference with your wireless connection (other devices, signal path issues) won't be an issue with the ethernet connection.

cougarfreak · 12-11-2010, 12:52 PM

I'm switching to Cable from Satellite, and I'm thinking about having them move my router into the same cabinet as my PS 3, so I can hook it in directly.

Alan T · 12-11-2010, 01:01 PM

It depends on many things.

How fast of an internet speed do you have? If it is not faster than wireless internet speeds, then you won't have additional bandwidth available to you. (most wireless run either 11Mbps, 54Mbps, or 200+Mbps, or some level in between depending on signal strength).

If your internet service is only 2Mbps download lets say, then that is less than your wireless speed anyways and you won't gain bandwidth from moving to wired. (assuming bandwidth to the internet, and not bandwidth to other devices on your home network).

If your internet connection is 30Mbps though, and you are only running 802.11b wireless which ends up being roughly 11Mbps at its best then yes you definitely will increase in bandwidth.

That said, moving from Satellite to Cable may or may not increase/decrease your bandwidth available depending on what package you had before and what you are switching to, but what it will do for you is tremendously and I mean tremendously reduce your latency for your internet connection (both wired and wireless). Many (not all) online gaming or online applications (especially VPN) have extreme problems with a very very latent environment such as satellite. So switching to cable internet may remove many other issues or difficulties you have been facing.

That said, what dawgfan also said about a consistent connection would be true moving to wired (assuming your cable is not faulty), and intermittent wireless connectivity can cause your bandwidth speeds to drop suddenly and cause problems. So it likely would be a more reliable environment as long as the equipment you use is sound.

SportsDino · 12-11-2010, 01:13 PM

Wireless links are lossy, but if your wireless bandwidth is well over your internet's speed then it won't be the bottleneck.

If you have a lot coming into your router though and are noticing slower wireless speeds I'd suggest running an experiment with it wired and see if it picks up noticeably. Most circumstances these days you probably won't notice much unless you have a really noisy (in electromagnetic terms) house.

cougarfreak · 12-11-2010, 02:25 PM

I'm keeping the same internet provider, just switching my internet speed, and the TV service. I am upgrading from 10 mb to 20 mb. At that speed, will it matter if I hook directly into the router or not?
At a speed test site, I just registered 3.81 mb/s, that is on my laptop, which is on the wireless connection. I kind of figured, if I wasn't on wireless, I'd rate about a 10.0 mb/s. The router I am using is a Linksys WRT 110

SteveMax58 · 12-11-2010, 04:59 PM

You should try your speed test twice in the same period of time. Try your laptop wireless (like you did) and then connect your laptop directly into your router/switch & run the speed test again. It is possible your (apparently) poor results on wireless may be due to interference with other wireless devices using the same frequencies/channels as you. I had the same problem myself with a neighbor and we arent exactly right on top of each other. Just close enough to screw with my Netflix once in a while on wireless. I changed my RF channel and all is well again.

Also...I wouldn't want to sway you away from something if you really might use it or benefit from it but most customers do not actually need 20 Mbps tiers. You may want to think about how many devices (computers, streaming devices, etc.) you typically might have going...and how often are they going at the same time.

DanGarion · 12-11-2010, 05:21 PM

The main thing to understand is that wireless connections were never intended to replace hardwire connections, it's a compliment. You will ALWAYS have more reliable and faster service on a hardwire connection compared to wireless.

12-11-2010, 12:52 PM	#3
cougarfreak College Starter Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Out of Grad School Hell :)	I'm switching to Cable from Satellite, and I'm thinking about having them move my router into the same cabinet as my PS 3, so I can hook it in directly. __________________ “I don’t like the Cubs,” Joey Votto said. “And I’m not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back."

12-11-2010, 01:01 PM	#4
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	It depends on many things. How fast of an internet speed do you have? If it is not faster than wireless internet speeds, then you won't have additional bandwidth available to you. (most wireless run either 11Mbps, 54Mbps, or 200+Mbps, or some level in between depending on signal strength). If your internet service is only 2Mbps download lets say, then that is less than your wireless speed anyways and you won't gain bandwidth from moving to wired. (assuming bandwidth to the internet, and not bandwidth to other devices on your home network). If your internet connection is 30Mbps though, and you are only running 802.11b wireless which ends up being roughly 11Mbps at its best then yes you definitely will increase in bandwidth. That said, moving from Satellite to Cable may or may not increase/decrease your bandwidth available depending on what package you had before and what you are switching to, but what it will do for you is tremendously and I mean tremendously reduce your latency for your internet connection (both wired and wireless). Many (not all) online gaming or online applications (especially VPN) have extreme problems with a very very latent environment such as satellite. So switching to cable internet may remove many other issues or difficulties you have been facing. That said, what dawgfan also said about a consistent connection would be true moving to wired (assuming your cable is not faulty), and intermittent wireless connectivity can cause your bandwidth speeds to drop suddenly and cause problems. So it likely would be a more reliable environment as long as the equipment you use is sound. __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months.

12-11-2010, 02:25 PM	#6
cougarfreak College Starter Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Out of Grad School Hell :)	I'm keeping the same internet provider, just switching my internet speed, and the TV service. I am upgrading from 10 mb to 20 mb. At that speed, will it matter if I hook directly into the router or not? At a speed test site, I just registered 3.81 mb/s, that is on my laptop, which is on the wireless connection. I kind of figured, if I wasn't on wireless, I'd rate about a 10.0 mb/s. The router I am using is a Linksys WRT 110 __________________ “I don’t like the Cubs,” Joey Votto said. “And I’m not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back." Last edited by cougarfreak : 12-11-2010 at 02:42 PM.

12-11-2010, 05:21 PM	#8
DanGarion Coordinator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great Northwest	The main thing to understand is that wireless connections were never intended to replace hardwire connections, it's a compliment. You will ALWAYS have more reliable and faster service on a hardwire connection compared to wireless. __________________ Los Angeles Dodgers Check out the FOFC Groups on Facebook! and Reddit! DON'T REPORT ME BRO!

12-11-2010, 12:45 PM	#2
dawgfan Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Seattle	At the very least, it will be more consistent - any issues you might have with interference with your wireless connection (other devices, signal path issues) won't be an issue with the ethernet connection.

12-11-2010, 01:13 PM	#5
SportsDino College Prospect Join Date: Oct 2001	Wireless links are lossy, but if your wireless bandwidth is well over your internet's speed then it won't be the bottleneck. If you have a lot coming into your router though and are noticing slower wireless speeds I'd suggest running an experiment with it wired and see if it picks up noticeably. Most circumstances these days you probably won't notice much unless you have a really noisy (in electromagnetic terms) house.

12-11-2010, 04:59 PM	#7
SteveMax58 College Starter Join Date: Dec 2006	You should try your speed test twice in the same period of time. Try your laptop wireless (like you did) and then connect your laptop directly into your router/switch & run the speed test again. It is possible your (apparently) poor results on wireless may be due to interference with other wireless devices using the same frequencies/channels as you. I had the same problem myself with a neighbor and we arent exactly right on top of each other. Just close enough to screw with my Netflix once in a while on wireless. I changed my RF channel and all is well again. Also...I wouldn't want to sway you away from something if you really might use it or benefit from it but most customers do not actually need 20 Mbps tiers. You may want to think about how many devices (computers, streaming devices, etc.) you typically might have going...and how often are they going at the same time.

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