How to take advantage of the Ethernet and WiFi connections to connect to the Internet from the PC and other devices

In recent times it seems that the only way to connect to the Internet we have is the wireless type. WiFi has become the quintessential connection for our devices , especially since sometimes it is The only one available to us.In the mobile and in the thin and light laptops of type 2 in 1 and convertible there are no more (obvious) connection options than the wireless ones, be it 4G or WiFi in the mobile and some laptops, or WiFi in the case of most laptops. Related

Anyway, WiFi is not always the optimal connection.In fact, until recently, WiFi was very slow and was only used if necessary , with the preferred connection being wired through Ethernet.To give you an idea, they were times when the effective speed of WiFi connection (802.11boge even type n) was barely 20-30 Mbps, while the cable offered at least 100 Mbps, and even 1 Gbps in the case of wired gigabit ethernet networks that ended up being the most common.

The war of WiFi standards

Wireless connections are standardized and defined by the IEEE so that there is a reference standard that allows, although the network devices are manufactured by different companies, everyone can "talk" to everyone In the case of WiFi, the standards are distinguished by being preceded by the numbers 802.11.For Bluetooth, it is 802.15, and for other standards we will have other nomenclatures.

As communications technologies are perfected, the specifications of the successive standards are improved .So, for 802.11b, we had a theoretical maximum of 11 Mbps speed.For 802.11g, we reached 54 Mbps.For 802.11n 450 Mbps were reached and now with 802.11ac the speed increases to 1,300 Mbps and even more.

To this section of the speeds we must add that of the communication channels. We can have frequencies of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz , reaching the best speeds using 5 GHz as the communications frequency.2.4 and 5 GHz compatible routers and devices are called "dual band".

Also, keep in mind that the theoretical speeds of the WiFi standards are just that: theoretical .In practice, the actual speeds are several orders of magnitude lower.Yes, for speeds of 1,300 Theoretical Mbps, the "usable" speed may not reach 400 Mbps.

WiFi yes, but well configured

Today, the landscape is changing and, especially after the arrival of the 802.11ac WiFi protocol , wireless connectivity allows you to take full advantage of the fiber connections that reach our homes, with connection speeds of 300 Mbps (0.3 Gbps or gigabits per second) or even 500 Mbps (0.5 Gbps).

That if, to benefit from the benefits of the last generations of WiFi technologies, it is necessary that the Internet router that we have at home has 802.11ac technology and that our connected devices also have this type of technology.Also we have to use the 5 GHz band to benefit from all the possible speed , and be sure that the quality of the WiFi connection is optimal, which depends on the proximity to the router or the presence of obstacles or that there is no interference with other WiFi networks of our house or neighbors.

The Ethernet cable, that forgotten

WiFi is fine, but, as we can see, it is not always easy to get the most out of it.For devices such as smartphones or tablets, it is not necessary to have all the connection speed offered by our fiber.Or at least, we will not easily notice if we have 300 Mbps or 50 Mbps unless we use a specific application that demands full speed.

To measure the speed at our disposal, we can use the Speedtest application for iOS or Android mobile devices, or access the speedtest.net portal to measure speed and latency from a web interface.

However, in other devices, such as video game consoles, smartTV televisions or PCs and laptops, it is vital to have the maximum speed and with the best quality of Internet connection.When we talk about quality, really we refer to a parameter as important as the speed itself: latency .

The latency of a connection is the measure of the time it takes for the transmission packets to pass through the network devices from the equipment on which we connect to the online server we access to watch a movie, play with an online game , access a website, download a document, etc.

With good quality WiFi connections, very low latencies are achieved if we have a well-configured network, but with wired connections you get even more restrained results.

Precisely, the best way to take advantage of the full speed of our Internet connection is through Ethernet network cables , from the router to the computer, the console or the TV directly through the physical Ethernet connectors available on the router and on the TV, console, computer or whatever device.

If you can, use Ethernet before the WiFi connection

The reasons for this are many.Yes, in the Ethernet connection we have 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps) of real speed and not only theoretical and the latencies it exhibits will be lower, in general, that latencies using WiFi.For uses such as streaming content consumption, file transfer, software updates or, especially gaming, where the latency has to be low in order to play with maximum guarantees, the cable is better than WiFi and is the recommended connection mode.

On the other hand, is an easy-to-handle connection : you just have to connect the cables to the router and to the chosen devices, and that's it: you don't have to choose networks, or use passwords.ready. The complexity lies in the installation of the cable , although it is easier than it seems if you use the wiring records at home and we have a probe and a little patience to carry cables around the house.You can have stretches of tens of meters without any loss of speed.

In addition, the Ethernet cables are not subject to interference or are damaged by the fact that there are several users connecting to the different Ethernet network ports.In the case of the four network ports that are usually in the routers take care and need more, you can use a switch connected to one of those ports of the router and from which "leave" four, eight or even more additional Ethernet connections.

Gaming and Ethernet, perfect pairing

If there is an application that benefits from network Ethernet connections, that is gaming. The demands of online games in terms of latency and stability of the network connection make it almost mandatory the use of Ethernet to connect the notebook or the PC or console on which it is being played.

Moreover, manufacturers of gaming equipment and components, and have dual network connections in their more specialized models.The reason is to have two LAN connections that can operate in combined mode to have up to 2 Gbps of bandwidth by adding that of each of the Ethernet connectors.You can also configure the Ethernet ports independently, with network traffic priority management.This way, the traffic of network associated with an online game can be configured as a top priority, so that even if there are more devices connected in the network, they do not interfere with the game.

In an online game, a delay (latency) of 10 ms, when the other player has a latency of 2 ms , is no less than 8 ms of delay to react, to aim a weapon or do a braking in a driving game.
Another interesting aspect of gaming is the need for software updates or game downloads from portals such as Steam, in which players store their profiles, their purchases or access games, expansion packs, etc.

Streaming needs stability more than speed

Another of the applications that benefit from wired connections is that of streaming content consumption such as those offered in the catalogs of products and services of communications operators.In these services, speed Transfer is not vital, since only between 10 and 20 Mbps are used for those of higher quality, but it is important that the connection is stable and is not damaged by interference or congestion problems such as those that can occur with WiFi If the connection is not optimized, the cable is not so exposed to instabilities of the radio frequency signals, and also allows to decongest the WiFi networks of a traffic such as streaming broadcasts, leaving room for other uses.

What if I don't have an Ethernet network port?

In many laptops we find that there is no Ethernet network connection.To save space, reduce thickness and get lightweight and compact designs, manufacturers opt for WiFi .But if we need to use a network cable instead WiFi, we can do it through USB to Ethernet adapters and USB-C to Ethernet.

These are accessories that are available both in online stores as in physical stores in the accessories section, and many times in the accessories section for Mac, which are the laptops where this type of connectivity has been traditionally missed.They are easily installed and, Except for exceptions, we won't have to worry about controllers or technical details beyond plugging in and connecting.