Study: Wi-Fi 30% slower on average in homes than wired
updated 05:55 am EST, Thu March 10, 2011
Interference affects speed, ethernet quicker
A new study has shown that download speeds over Wi-Fi are on average 30 percent slower than fixed Ethernet connections. The reason for this lies in physical barriers around a house as interference from other devices, including microwaves. According to Reuters, broadband research firm Epitiro has reported that when surfing the net, the speed drop is not as noticeable. However, when data is being transferred over Wi-Fi it could result in latency and data loss.
Epitiro said that where this starts to become an issue for users is when they are engaged in online gaming, VoIP phone calls and video calls, or video streaming. The solution for users is to keep their devices as close to their Wi-Fi router as possible. However, when running a laptop on battery power, away from the station, or when a microwave oven is on, performance can drop off substantially.
Epitiro’s results were determined after studying 14,001 user broadband connections in several countries including the United States, Italy, Britain and Spain over the period November 2010 to February 2011.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2004
Has Epitiro heard of 'N'?
Um, by using N in 5 GHz you eliminate those problems. Not really affected by the microwave (which bleeds all over 2.4GHz) and it's max speed far outpaces the 25Mbps my Cable modem is capable of. And, you can use an 'N' repeater for good measure on the outskirts of your home.
Wireless is a h*** OF A LOT more convenient than wiring my house.