If you’re new to working from home, one of the most important things to consider is your internet connection. Because most of your communication to your office or clients will involve connecting online, you have to pick one that suits your needs.
Is Wi-Fi better than an ethernet connection? This post is going to give you the biggest work-from-home tip of all: how to know if Wi-Fi or ethernet is right for you.
PROS AND CONS OF WI-FI
Wireless networks, or Wi-Fi internet, allow you to access the internet without any ethernet cables connected to your devices. Data is transmitted through the air, instead of via cables.
PROS
- High flexibility and mobility – If you don’t have a home office and you’d need to move your laptop around the house, it means you need a connection that could provide you continuous internet access wherever you go. As long as the areas you decide to use as your temporary office at home is within Wi-Fi range (usually up to 150 feet for a traditional 2.4 GHz band), Wi-Fi will work best.
- Low-cost, easy-to-do installation – When installing wired internet in a building, the cables needed can be a lot (depending on the number of levels and building size). If you have a big house, this might also be the case. Wi-fi internet, on the other hand, doesn’t require any cabling, so the expenses remain low and easier to install. Maintaining Wi-Fi is also easier because you’d just have to focus on updating the software (instead of fixing hardware parts).
- Minimalist, organized home office – No cables mean a less, clutter-looking home office. If this is what you have in mind working from home, then pick Wi-Fi over ethernet.
CONS
- Security issues – Because of how Wi-Fi networks are designed, Wi-Fi can have security issues when hackers and other scrupulous people intercept signals when data is being transmitted through the air. Fortunately, there are plenty of solutions (firewalls, encryption, etc.) to protect you and your data from these possibilities.
- Connection drops may occur – Wi-fi can sometimes be unstable, specifically when there are physical obstructions (like a cabinet, wall, etc.) from the router to the device you’re trying to connect with. Sometimes, it is due to dead zones (areas in a house or office that cannot be reached by the Wi-Fi). You can fix this by moving the router around or adding Wi-Fi boosters around the house.
- Slower data transfer – Wifi transfers data slower than ethernet. This is just fact and how both networks are created. In most cases, you wouldn’t really notice much of a difference, especially if you have no point of comparison or if you don’t perform bandwidth-heavy activities online.
PROS AND CONS OF ETHERNET
Ethernet network doesn’t necessarily have to connect your device online. Sometimes, an ethernet cable allows you to transfer files between one computer to another computer. If you use ethernet cable to give you access online, the computer or other devices must be place in a single position.
PROS
- Faster Speeds – Wired connections provide much faster speeds than Wi-Fi, even if both types of connections have met improvements continuously. Connections that use ethernet cables also do not run into issues like dead zones, obstructions, and other Wi-Fi connectivity issues. The speed of wired internet is also more consistent because only a handful of devices/users can connect to it at any time.
- Reliability – Wired networks are often more reliable than Wi-Fi because there is virtually no obstruction and interception that would happen if the connection is configured properly. Wi-Fi can be affected by your microwave oven and other devices, but connections that uses ethernet cables won’t be susceptible to connectivity issues unless the actual cables get damaged.
- Better security – Ethernet provides better security than Wi-Fi since people have to physically plug their devices using a cable to connect to your wired connection. If you have a small office at home with two or more computers, you can also link both devices together with ethernet cables and transfer data/files securely even without internet access.
CONS
- Not portable – Ethernet connections are not flexible, so if you require to be mobile while working from home, you can’t rely on your wired network to give you access to another network or the internet.
- More effort and expense during installation – If you’re going to set up your home office from one side of your house to the other edge, or from the attic to the ground floor, you’ll need a lot of ethernet cables to get your network in place. This means an added expense and effort on your part (if you’re the one going to run the cables on your wall, floor, etc.)
Remote working which took off during the Coronavirus Pandemic is here to stay. This means that our dependence on our home internet connection is more than it has ever been. We are using the internet for everything from working to exploring entertainment options. Using sites and platforms like u1337x has now become common for professionals looking to unwind after a long day of work.
As you can see, there’s really no right or wrong choice when it comes to your connection. Your pick should always depend on your work-from-home needs and office set-up, budget, and other personal factors. And if you really can’t decide, there’s always a hybrid approach where you use both ethernet and Wi-Fi together.
