Wireless VS Ethernet: Which is better for online gaming?
Wifi vs Ethernet for online gaming
Wifi vs Ethernet – which connection is better for gaming? Let’s get straight to the answer. If you want the best connection for your online gaming, you must always play on a wired Ethernet connection. No question. The reliability of a physical Ethernet connection outstrips any of the convenience that Wifi can offer. So if you’re a gamer and serious about reducing your lag, a wired Ethernet connection is a must. Let’s take a look why.Connecting to wireless network after setting up your Xbox One You can change the way you connect to the Internet at any time during your use of the Xbox One. For example, if you are moving to a new place, you may want to use a different wireless network than the one you have used in the past. Ethernet has a higher throuput. Standard ethernet now is Cat 5e which I believe is capable of up to 1000Mb. Wireless standard is 802.11g which is 54Mb, newest is 'n' which is a lot faster, but.
Why is a wired Ethernet connection better for online gaming than Wifi?
To send a Wifi connection around your home your router uses radio waves. The strength and consistency of these radio waves can be reduced by several factors:- Obstructions in your home, such as walls, doors and floors
- Interference from other devices, such as your smartphone, or neighbouring routers using the same Wifi channel
- The distance between your router and the connected device
Does this mean Wifi is bad for online gaming?
It means gaming over Wifi is less reliable and less stable than gaming on Ethernet, but it’s not necessarily awful. If you are currently playing on Wifi because your router is in a different room to your gaming setup then look into Powerline adapters, which use the electrical wiring in your home to transport an Ethernet connection around your to any room. Here are some recommended Powerline Adapters: Powerline Adapters (Amazon US)Powerline Adapters (Amazon UK) If you have no choice but to play on Wifi then try to place your console as close to your router as possible. You should also run a Wifi channel scanner to find the least congested channel for your router. You can see how to do this here.Is Wifi ever better than Ethernet?
The main advantage of Wifi is convenience, especially for devices that regularly move around your home, such as your phone. But your gaming devices, like your PS4 or Xbox One, very rarely change position, so this flexibility is irrelevant. Another advantage of Wifi is the theoretical maximum download or upload speeds it can reach, which on a modern router can often exceed 1000mbps per second (which is Ethernet’s maximum speed when using a Cat 6 cable). But these high speeds are meaningless for gaming, which requires very little bandwidth to run effectively, usually no more than 1mb per second. Plus your Internet connection is most likely no more than 100mbps, so buying a router for its high Wifi speeds to help your online gaming is pointless. You can run a speed test for free here.Does playing on an Ethernet connection mean I will have no more lag?
Playing on a wired connection is good practice, but it is just one small part in the war against lag. There are many other factors, particularly the distance from you to your game’s server and congestion on your network. The award-winning Netduma router is designed to minimize all causes of lag, so click here to learn more.There is a lot of debate about Wi-Fi speeds and whether they can offer higher potential speeds than a cable connection, but in practice Ethernet connections turn out to be not only faster but also safer.
The era of technology we exist in leads us (and in some cases forces us) to be connected at all times. One of the consequences of this connectivity can be clearly seen in communications and in how we have gotten used to things happening instantly. Nowadays we, as users of technology, see it as only natural to be able to obtain information or communicate with another person immediately.
In this context, for the most part we have two options for getting online: The first is wireless, via Wi-Fi, and the second is through a network cable, commonly known as Ethernet. Let’s analyze these two options to see the differences between them and also take a closer look at the belief that network cables are always the best option.
Accessing the Internet via a network cable: Is it faster?
Naturally, the arrival of wireless connectivity was a great benefit as it allows us to keep our physical space tidier and avoid the need for lengths of cable between connected devices. But besides the convenience offered by wireless, when it comes to pure speed, a debate has been raging for some time now leading to a lot of disagreement: Which is faster, Wi-Fi or network cables? The answer is straightforward, though: cable. Although Wi-Fi is a newer protocol, there are a lot of factors in play (in fact we will only look at a few in this article) that influence whether one connection can be faster than another. Perhaps the main issue is the saturation of channels and the large number of default connections, which makes data transmission speeds less stable and generally lower.
Added to this is the effect of building structures, for example, concrete walls, swimming pools, and other building materials which cause a loss of signal and a reduction in performance, which affects the speeds achievable from a Wi-Fi connection. Generally speaking, the higher the frequency, the larger the rate of absorption by walls and floors.
Of course, it is almost impossible to notice these slight, almost imperceptible variations during normal browsing. However, the differences in performance are more obvious when it comes to activities like playing an online game, sharing files on the network, or streaming ultraHD content.
To summarize, we can say that while there are different norms and standards for each type of connection, in general, a correctly installed network cable connection ends up being faster than a Wi-Fi connection. When we look at the speeds offered by each protocol, for example the 802.11ac standard, we need to understand that its stated speed of 6.5 Gb/s is the maximum theoretical speed (which is faster than Ethernet 2.5 at 6 Gb/s), but that in most cases it cannot actually reach its maximum potential as it is affected by the obstacles we just mentioned. For their part, Ethernet connections offer a more stable performance, as they are not affected by these issues or other external factors. To finish off, it is worth highlighting that a couple years ago the Cat.8 Ethernet protocol was launched. Its use isn’t widespread due to its high costs, but it can reach speeds as high as 40 Gb/s.
Xbox One Wifi Spec
Accessing the Internet via Ethernet is more secure than by Wi-Fi
If we think in terms of secure communications, the argument in support of wireless connections loses immediately if we compare it to Ethernet. Numerous kinds of attacks can be carried out remotely, such as deauthenticating a device, or cracking the encryption key to get into the network. Furthermore, in the past year we have seen the emergence of vulnerabilities like KRACK, which affects WPA2 (one of the most robust and widespread protocols), and which was likely the trigger that led to the development of the new WPA3, although this has not yet been launched. As well as this, an attacker could also block wireless communications, with greater or lesser degrees of success, through the famous signal-blocking jammers.
Lastly, another very common type of attack is one which uses fake access points, whereby the victim connects to an open network which was created by the attacker, who then spies on the user’s traffic and steals their data. Of course, these attacks are impossible to carry out remotely through an Ethernet network, as an attacker would need physical access to do so. For these reasons, cable connections are more secure than wireless, or, in other words, they offer a lower risk of incidents if you do not make great efforts to apply some of the various security measures available.
So, more cables and less Wi-Fi?
Having read this far, you may have started to think about whether to update your network architecture and connect everything via Ethernet. Of course, for devices like smartwatches, tablets, cell phones and smart lighting, this option is out of reach.
To conclude, it is logical that the best way to transfer files between devices at maximum speed is via an Ethernet cable. It is important to clarify that the Internet speed you agreed on in your contract with your ISP makes no difference in this case.
Clearly, the need for mobility will have an impact on our decision, as will the number of ports available in our router. If you use a laptop and are constantly moving from one desk to another within the range covered by your Wi-Fi, it may be impractical to restrict yourself to a cable, which would force you to stay in the same spot. With a desktop, though, things are different. While desktops can be fitted with a wireless card, this is only recommended when connecting an Ethernet cable between the desktop and the router is not possible. For network sharing devices and media players, cable connections are also best. Seagate 4tb ssd external hard drive.
Xbox One Wifi Vs Ethernet
While the dream of cable-free devices is already possible, in many cases it is not the best option if you love high speeds. In the end, then, it all comes down to a question of priorities.