There is an increasing demand for network connectivity all around us and in the home. We have an increasing number of devices and appliances that now need to be connected to a network in some way. When considering getting network connectivity in the home one challenge that often comes up is to decide whether to go with a wireless or cable network. Deciding on the one to stick with can be a tough choice.

While there are obvious advantages and disadvantages of both the answer doesn’t always have to be one or the other. You could have both in your home. Still, your particular need is what determines which you go for or if you should go for both. In most cases, you may have to go for both.

Let us consider the advantages and disadvantages of both and see how they stack up against each other.

Advantages of ethernet.

1. The first advantage of a cabled or wired network is that it is very reliable and has better performance or faster connection speeds than a wireless network. Depending on the cable used, your connection can give you a consistent transfer speed of up to 10 GB/s. Devices used for streaming or transferring very large files will benefit most from this. Other devices which could benefit from this will include those used in video conferencing.

2. A second advantage of cabled networks is that they are more secure compared to wireless networks. Security is crucial for everyone, but if you consider security a priority then a wired network would be your pick.

3. As long as your cables are connected you will have less downtime and may not have any dropped signals at all. If you use a wireless network, every time you move to certain distances away from the router you will experience dropped signals.

The major disadvantage of using a cabled network is the fact that you will be confined to a certain space as the Ethernet cables have to be connected to your system. It can also be difficult to install

Wifi advantages

1. Wireless networks are super easy to install. You do not need Ethernet jacks or cables run through the house. All you need is a router configured.

2. You are not confined to a certain place or space. You can carry your device anywhere and everywhere within the house so long you do not go out of the ‘area of coverage’ for the router.

3. It is easier to share files over a wireless network as opposed to a cabled network where you must be connected by cable to share a file.

A major disadvantage of a wireless network is security. They are usually less secure. Another matter of concern is that they normally have far less connection speeds when compared with wired networks.

Depending on the specific use of your network on may be better suited for you than the other but in most cases instead of asking whether to pick between wireless or cabled networks, you could actually have both installed and enjoy their combined benefits.