Ryan Block Argues for Ethernet
August 23, 2008 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Household, Wireless
It’s so easy to love WiFi’s convenience. Imagine being able to tap out an article on the laptop while lying down on bed, or even while using the john! But Ryan Block, on the eve of his departure as Engadget’s editor-in-chief, made the case for wiring your house up.
WiFi or Ethernet? As a former network engineer, it’s a question I can hardly resist. My take: wireless is great (and always necessary), but wire your home as much and as well as you can.
Why go wired? Well, Ryan’s right on the money when he talks about “consistent speeds and reliable connectivity”, how much faster Ethernet is than even the latest WiFi, and Power over Ethernet (PoE). PoE you ask? That’s the awesome phenomenon involving network hubs, routers, and access points drawing data and power through the same Ethernet cable.
To be honest though is a question that more people should know the answer to; it’s been around at least since 2003.
I can’t agree any more with that. Wifi is fine for internet access, but for more demanding tasks it just won’t do. A fine example of this is nas. Copying gigabytes over wifi or a powerline network takes forever.