WiFi 802.11ac Vs. Ethernet Cable - Which Is Faster?

Replies

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  Jeffrey Arulraj

  Well Tata Indicom's Chennai Singapore Fiber is estimated @4Gbps
  
  This can't be compared to Wireless transmission in any time
  
  Longer the distance more distorted the wireless data received
  
  Range is limited to increase range power of signal has to be amplified
  PS: No one likes to have a tesla coil in their houses to power their Wireless router
  
  With current tech we can't reach further in the wireless domain Research is going to increase their capabilities
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  Ashraf HZ

  Standard ethernet cables are usually the Cat 5e variant, which can carry bandwidth of up to 1 Gbps theoretically (IEEE 802.3ab), or up to 88% of it practically so far (880 Mbps or 110 MBps) per port. If you start using Cat 6 cables, these support up to 10 Gbps ethernet. Of course, 10 Gbps switches are not yet available for household consumers as they are costly.
  
  Whereas 802.11ac, as with all wireless technologies, need RF ideal conditions (both in the air interface channel and antennas) to reach a respectable throughput close to it's theoretical limits. The maximum aggregate speed you can get is 6.77 Gbps with an 8 antenna configuration @ 160 MHz channel.
  
  In Apple's case, For 1.3 Gbps, you'll need 3 streams (each at 433 Mbps on 80 MHz channels). So far practically in existing ac router, you can only get maximum of around 500-600 Mbps total (hence, less than 50%). If your connected device does not support receiving all 3 streams, then your maximum will be much lower. Samsung S4's 802.11ac only supports a single stream, so theoretically it can only get 433 Mbps (or about 200 Mbps practically). Is still a whole lot better than 802.11n and 100 Mbps Ethernet for sure!
  
  Ethernet vs WiFi
  In terms of speed, ethernet will always go on top by virtue of it being wired. Wireless will always be limited by the RF channel; all devices connected to the WiFi will share the maximum link, whereas all devices connected to an Ethernet switch is limited by its maximum port link only (assuming fabric switch capacity is close to the sum of all ports). As more 802.11n & ac routers go into the market to populate the 5 GHz RF channel, you will find it a bit harder to get ideal Wifi speeds. Also, with 5 GHz, your wireless range will be affected as it gets attenuated more easily when going through walls.
  
  But in terms of convenience? WiFi for sure. You can still move around the room or parts of the house with freedom and stream some HD content on the laptop or phone. With 802.11ac, you can get more friends and guests connected to your home network easily without much wireless congestion.
  
  So in the end, you'll usually get both anyway.
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  Jeffrey Arulraj

  Ethernet for long haul is pure disaster as repeaters are costlier
  
  Wifi for short distance is real boon to any portable gadget lover
  
  Both are different sides of a coin called connectivity with out one the other is useless and both together we have absolute connections
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  Ashraf HZ

  Conqueror

  Ethernet for long haul is pure disaster as repeaters are costlier

  Well, if Ethernet is transmitted across your standard twisted pair cables, you won't get much range over it. But if its transmitted across fiber cables, you can get much better range (50+ km). Look up Metro-E, its becoming more prevalent use for long haul compared to older SONET/SDH systems. Its cheaper, in fact.
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  #-Link-Snipped-# - Thanks for the explanation. Why is the 1 Gbps limit on the Ethernet cable? Anything to do with the resistance of the wire (or the length?)
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  Ashraf HZ

  Kaustubh Katdare

  #-Link-Snipped-# - Thanks for the explanation. Why is the 1 Gbps limit on the Ethernet cable? Anything to do with the resistance of the wire (or the length?)

  At the time the TIA/EIA-568 standard came about for Ethernet cabling, their main objective was to have structured cabling with certain performance specifications, via reducing crosstalk & external EM interferences. This was nearly a decade ago. Hence for the Cat5e specifications, they design it with a 100 MHz bandwidth that allowed up to 1 Gbps. You can try to push higher frequencies, but you will get very bad signalling and won't get higher throughput. So in a sense, the 1 Gbps limit is due to certain crosstalk & interference design specs.
  
  To allow more than 1 Gbps, they'd need to design more stringent specifications that will reduce cross talk and external interferences at higher frequencies. Hence Cat6 was born (Cat6 @ 250 MHz & Cat6a @ 500 MHz)
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  Ahsanul haque

  i like Ethernet cable .also wireless. but wireless is portable easy setup. not huge system loss. i think Ethernet cable always better place ... in this existence need strong medium so Ethernet cable is a strong medium.
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  Ahsanul haque

  Thanks 2 All