Wired vs Wireless Networking
http://live.pirillo.com/ – What’s the one thing Linksys, D-Link, and Netgear all have in commin? They all offer networking equipment, both wired and wireless. A user in the chat room wants to know what’s better: wired or wireless networks.
The answer: It really depends on what you’re going to be doing on your network.
For the average user, the only thing you really need to worry about is what systems are going to be on your network: will they be laptops, desktops, or a combination of the two?
If you use mostly laptops, then you would be better off with a totally wireless networking solution. With a wireless network you won’t be tethered by an Ethernet cable, and you’ll be able to use the Internet virtually anywhere in your home.
If you use mostly desktops, then you might want to consider having a wired network. A wired network offers a bit more security, since your packets will be restricted to the Ethernet cable, and you won’t have to worry about acquiring a good signal from your wireless router. Plus, Ethernet is fast (up to one gigabit per second) and getting faster (the latest standards drafts suggest speeds as high as 100 gigabits per second).
If you use both laptops and desktops, or if you want to introduce a wired network into a wireless one, you could always go with a hybrid network.
There are some security issues with using a wireless network, such as the potential for packet sniffing, so you’ll need to take the appropriate security measures to secure your wireless network, but if it’s properly secured you should not run into any problems.
What do you think is better: wired or wireless?
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4 Comments
Russ L'Rogue
May 31st, 2007
at 4:31am
I’ve had a hybrid wireless system going since the early days of wireless using a Linksys router and PCMIA card on both my basestation and the laptop under Windoze and a DSL wired connection with great success. With the exception of setting it all up with Ubuntu because Linksys so far, has held back on developing an open-source driver for their cards. And I REFUSE to give in to their reluctance by buying another brand JUST ‘cuz they don’t want to be part of the free-source community (tho’ rumor has it that they may have seen the light.) So I’m still working on that little glitch. But I am also sticking with my choice of Ubuntu over Winlose and will either wait for further Linksys cooperation or find a solution on my own.
Oh, and sorry for the tirade …
Russ L'Rogue
May 31st, 2007
at 4:31am
I’ve had a hybrid wireless system going since the early days of wireless using a Linksys router and PCMIA card on both my basestation and the laptop under Windoze and a DSL wired connection with great success. With the exception of setting it all up with Ubuntu because Linksys so far, has held back on developing an open-source driver for their cards. And I REFUSE to give in to their reluctance by buying another brand JUST ‘cuz they don’t want to be part of the free-source community (tho’ rumor has it that they may have seen the light.) So I’m still working on that little glitch. But I am also sticking with my choice of Ubuntu over Winlose and will either wait for further Linksys cooperation or find a solution on my own.
Oh, and sorry for the tirade …
Stan
May 31st, 2007
at 9:29am
What do you think is better: wired or wireless?
What do you think is better: A screwdriver or a wrench?
One is not better than the other. They’re different tools for different jobs. Depends what you want to do.
We have 3 desktop systems all relatively close to each other and, of course, they’re on a wired network.
When I work on PCs (under the ‘hood’), I always need a screwdriver.
When I work on my car (under the ‘hood’), I (more-than-likely) need a wrench (several of them) as well as a screwdriver or two.
What do you think is better: A screwdriver or a wrench? An Apple or an orange? Dope or booze?
Stan
May 31st, 2007
at 9:29am
What do you think is better: wired or wireless?
What do you think is better: A screwdriver or a wrench?
One is not better than the other. They’re different tools for different jobs. Depends what you want to do.
We have 3 desktop systems all relatively close to each other and, of course, they’re on a wired network.
When I work on PCs (under the ‘hood’), I always need a screwdriver.
When I work on my car (under the ‘hood’), I (more-than-likely) need a wrench (several of them) as well as a screwdriver or two.
What do you think is better: A screwdriver or a wrench? An Apple or an orange? Dope or booze?