Are There Benefits to Using a Hard-Wired Internet Connection Over Wi-Fi at Our Office?

one week per year in productivity waiting on their company’s network to respond. If you have 10 employees, that lost productivity would mean about 2.5 months wasted waiting on a slow Wi-Fi connection. While there are definitely certain benefits to using a wireless network at your office, putting all your computers on Wi-Fi to connect can slow you down. We see this happen often when we’re helping our Texas clients solve networking issues. When you have computer workstations and printers that are always located in the same place, then the ability to connect wirelessly is less of an advantage and a hard-wired ethernet connection can be the better internet option. Wi-Fi networks are increasingly being overwhelmed as offices add more internet-connected devices like smart locks, smart lighting, and smart security systems. Add to that all the mobile devices connecting to your office Wi-Fi each day, and these networks can quickly slow down due to being overwhelmed with demand.

The Advantages of Using a Wired Ethernet Connection for Your Office Computers Ethernet cables provide a direct line to the modem provided by your internet service provider. They offer better signal strength, faster connection speeds, and more a reliable connection than using a wireless signal. Faster response times for your internet connections means better productivity for your office and less frustration waiting on websites and cloud applications to respond. We always recommend our clients use hard-wired connections wherever possible to improve the overall internet efficiency in their office. Here are the benefits of using a wired ethernet connection where possible.

Faster Connection Speeds Because you’re hard-wired to the source of your internet connection rather than using a signal that has to travel through the air, you can experience much faster connection speeds and response times when using a hard-wired connection.  Hard-wired connections can be as much as 5x faster than Wi-Fi. A modern ethernet connection can reach speeds up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps), while Wi-Fi averages about 1 Gbps. That faster speed means employees can accomplish tasks quicker and more easily.

Lower Latency Latency is the time it takes for your data to get from your computer to the internet and vice versa. When you’ve clicked the “send button” on an application and you have to wait a few seconds for it to finish updating, that’s due to latency. The lower latency you get with a wired connection means less “lag time” and faster response times for everything from loading webpages and business apps to downloading and uploading data.

More Reliable Connection When you use an ethernet connection for the internet rather than Wi-Fi, you don’t have to deal with problems that can interfere with a reliable connection. Wi-Fi can drop in and out, especially if you have an older computer. It can also be interfered with by things like solid walls or furniture or even a nearby microwave being turned on. Hard-wired connections don’t have those types of issues with interference because the signal isn’t traveling through the air or through solid objects, it’s wired directly to your computer.

Reduces Demand on Wi-Fi Hard-wiring computers, printers, and other devices that aren’t typically moved not only benefits their connectivity, it can also improve the experience of devices connected to your Wi-Fi. Over the last 5 years, the number of internet-connected devices in the world has nearly tripled. When you remove several devices from needing a Wi-Fi connection, it reduces the demand on your wireless router, thus improves the experience of those devices that do require the non-wired connection.

Better Security While wireless routers have certain security protocols built in, if a hacker is connected to your network wirelessly, they still have a better chance of gaining unauthorized access to other devices (like servers) that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Using a hard-wired connection provides additional security because hacking into them would generally involve needing physical access to a network point, where Wi-Fi can be connected to without that. Most hackers aren’t going to risk gaining physical access to an office and exposing themselves.

No Problem with Distance If your office is the farthest away from your company’s wireless router, you’ll most likely have the weakest signal strength. But with a hard-wired connection using an ethernet cable, your signal is just as strong no matter where you are located in the building, and you don’t have to deal with poor signal zones.

Get the Best Network Setup for Your Office Needs Texas I.T. Pros are experts at office networks and we can help you with a hybrid solution using both hard-wired and wireless options to facilitate efficiency and flexibility. Contact us today to schedule a network consultation! Call 940-239-6500 or reach out online.