As the proud owner of about a dozen Ethernet cables ranging from 3 feet to 100 feet in length, I'm a proud and practicing Ethernet purist. While the future of Wi-Fi is more exciting than ever, not all of us have access to blazing wireless speeds or a pricey Wi-Fi 7 router in our homes.
There are any number of other reasons why you might prefer to hardwire your compatible devices. Perhaps the construction or layout of your home isn't conducive to Wi-Fi signals reaching everywhere you need them to, and you can't afford a proper mesh system. Or maybe you're a gamer striving for the lowest latency possible to play competitive online games. These are the top reasons I chose to use Ethernet over Wi-Fi whenever possible for my most important home devices.
4 Latency
Keep that ping low
I'm an avid gamer, often find myself on video calls for work, and occasionally use a remote desktop, so I'm always trying to achieve the lowest ping possible. When I've had to be on Wi-Fi while gaming, I've often noticed latency spikes when my wife would start streaming a 4K show or doing bandwidth-intensive work on her laptop. They would eventually resolve, and my ping would return to normal, but it could be enough to disrupt an important moment in-game. Once I ran an Ethernet cable to my PC tower, I no longer had lag spikes or ping issues.
These spikes occur because Wi-Fi is inherently a shared medium with multiple devices connected simultaneously, and there is only so much bandwidth within the frequency bands used by your router. In any situation where milliseconds matter, directly wiring your internet connection ensures an uninterrupted flow of packets and data, minimizing the latency in your setup.
3 Security
Ethernet is a no-brainer for sensitive work
Whether you're an employee working for a corporation with high security standards or a government contractor working with a security clearance, the security of your home network is not something to be taken lightly. An Ethernet connection goes a long way toward securing your data and work product. As far-fetched as it may seem, a one-in-a-million chance is still higher than zero.
A hardwired connection completely eliminates the risk of having traffic intercepted via packet sniffing or having your devices victimized by Wi-Fi spoofing. Running your home network via mostly hardwired Ethernet provides additional peace of mind over a wireless network, especially for those of us that are a bit more security minded.
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2 Interference
Avoid all the congestion in the air
Wi-Fi congestion and interference are still real-world issues, especially for those of us living in multi-family housing like apartments and condo buildings. Being surrounded by wireless signals and routers all sharing the same proverbial lanes of 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequencies can lead to channel congestion, though the most modern Wi-Fi standards address this somewhat with channelization.
You'll also be sharing walls with any number of Bluetooth or wireless devices, making for a crowded RF landscape. Even microwaves can technically interfere with 2.4GHz bands, though this isn't a primary concern. All of these factors can impact the speed and efficacy of your wireless connection.
Directly wiring your most important devices, especially those that need the most reliable connection possible, like a PC you're using for remote work or competitive gaming, bypasses the potential of interference degrading your wireless connection.
1 Simplicity
Mo Wi-Fi, mo problems
At the end of the day, the number one reason I hardwire every device I can is simply the ease of doing so. I've spent far too many hours in my life troubleshooting all manner of Wi-Fi connection issues. I've grown tired of setting up new SSIDs and channels whenever I move or change routers, and it gets old having to reconnect my PC every time I do a clean install or my TV whenever I replace it with a new model.
Every time the power cycles, or I have to reset the router, I'm always grateful that my hardwired devices are back up and running entire minutes before my router’s Wi-Fi is back up and running. These minutes are precious if you're in a work meeting or in the middle of an online game.
We could talk about the technical advantages of Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet until the cows come home, but the truth is Wi-Fi will simply never beat the ease of plugging an Ethernet cable into my compatible devices.
Run some cable, you won't regret it
If you're lucky enough to live in a home already wired for Ethernet, then consider yourself lucky and take full advantage of everything that a wired connection has to offer. If, like many of us, you are in an apartment, condo, or older home where it isn't quite that simple, then you might at least consider running a long Ethernet cable from your router to the main PC in your home. If you own your home and can make alterations, you can also look into having a few Ethernet ports dropped through your walls, which can be surprisingly cost-effective depending on the location of your router or modem.
Either way, hardwiring your essential connected devices is a surefire way to achieve stability in your speeds, latency, and connection strength. It's inherently more secure than using a wireless connection, and it avoids the headache of troubleshooting routers, Wi-Fi drops, and signal interference.