Choosing between ethernet and WiFi affects your internet performance more than any other factor. While WiFi offers convenience, ethernet provides significantly faster speeds, lower ping, and rock-solid stability. Understanding the differences helps you decide when to use each connection type.
Ethernet delivers 2-3x faster speeds than WiFi in real-world conditions. On a 100 Mbps internet connection, ethernet provides 90-100 Mbps while WiFi typically delivers 30-70 Mbps depending on distance, obstacles, and interference.
The speed difference increases with faster internet plans and distance from the router. Someone with gigabit internet (1000 Mbps) might see 940 Mbps on ethernet but only 200-400 Mbps on WiFi.
| Internet Plan | Ethernet Speed | WiFi Speed (Close) | WiFi Speed (Far) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Mbps | 45-50 Mbps | 30-40 Mbps | 15-25 Mbps |
| 100 Mbps | 90-100 Mbps | 50-70 Mbps | 25-40 Mbps |
| 200 Mbps | 180-200 Mbps | 100-140 Mbps | 50-80 Mbps |
| 500 Mbps | 450-500 Mbps | 200-350 Mbps | 100-200 Mbps |
| 1000 Mbps (Gigabit) | 900-1000 Mbps | 300-600 Mbps | 150-300 Mbps |
"Close" means same room as router with line of sight. "Far" means different floor or multiple walls away. These are typical ranges—actual performance varies by equipment and environment.
Speed: Full internet plan speed (95-100% of advertised)
Ping: Lowest possible (typically 10-30ms less than WiFi)
Stability: Rock solid, no fluctuations
Interference: None
Range: Limited by cable length (100 meters max per cable)
Setup: Requires running cables
Mobility: Device stays in one location
Best for: Gaming, streaming, desktop computers, work from home
Speed: 30-70% of internet plan speed (varies by distance)
Ping: Higher and variable (10-50ms more than ethernet)
Stability: Can fluctuate, occasional drops
Interference: Affected by walls, distance, other networks
Range: Typically 50-150 feet depending on obstacles
Setup: Simple, no cables needed
Mobility: Move freely within range
Best for: Phones, tablets, laptops when portable
Ethernet cables carry electrical signals directly to your device with minimal loss. WiFi signals weaken as they travel through air, walls, and obstacles. Every wall between you and the router reduces WiFi speed.
Ethernet is immune to interference from other devices, networks, or electromagnetic sources. WiFi shares airspace with neighbors' networks, Bluetooth devices, microwaves, and other wireless technology, all competing for bandwidth.
Ethernet can send and receive data simultaneously at full speed. WiFi must take turns sending and receiving, effectively halving available bandwidth when both upload and download happen together.
Ethernet delivers the same speed whether you're 3 feet or 300 feet from the router (within cable limits). WiFi speed decreases with distance, obstacles, and the number of connected devices.
Each ethernet device gets dedicated bandwidth. WiFi shares bandwidth among all wireless devices—more WiFi devices means less speed per device.
Real-world example: On a 200 Mbps plan, ethernet gives you 190-200 Mbps consistently. WiFi in the same room gives 100-140 Mbps, dropping to 50-80 Mbps one room away, and 25-50 Mbps on another floor.
Ethernet provides 10-30ms lower ping than WiFi. For a server 500 miles away:
More importantly, ethernet ping is consistent. WiFi ping varies (high jitter), causing lag spikes that ruin gaming and create choppy video calls. Ethernet eliminates jitter almost entirely.
Use ethernet for these devices and situations:
Use WiFi for these situations where convenience outweighs performance:
If you must use WiFi, optimize performance with these tips:
5GHz WiFi is 2-3x faster than 2.4GHz but has shorter range. Use 5GHz when close to router, 2.4GHz when far away or through many walls.
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) routers provide better speeds, handle more devices, and reduce interference compared to older WiFi 5 (802.11ac) routers.
Place your router in a central, elevated location away from walls and metal objects. Better router placement dramatically improves WiFi speeds.
Each wall, floor, or large object between you and the router reduces WiFi speed. Minimize obstacles when possible.
If many neighbors use WiFi, switch to less congested channels to reduce interference and improve speeds.
Disconnect devices you're not using. Fewer devices means more bandwidth available for active connections.
Most households benefit from using both connection types strategically:
This approach maximizes speed where it matters while maintaining convenience for portable devices.
Reality: While WiFi speeds have improved, ethernet is still 2-3x faster in real-world conditions. WiFi 6 is better than WiFi 5, but neither matches wired performance.
Reality: WiFi 6 improves wireless performance but can't overcome physics. Distance, obstacles, and interference still reduce speeds. Ethernet remains superior.
Reality: Cable quality matters. Cat5e supports up to 1 Gbps, Cat6 up to 10 Gbps, Cat7 even higher. Use at least Cat5e for modern speeds.
Reality: Devices can have both connections enabled, automatically prioritizing ethernet when available and falling back to WiFi when unplugged.
Verify the difference yourself by testing both connections:
This shows exactly how much performance you sacrifice using WiFi in your specific environment.
Ethernet is always faster, more stable, and lower latency than WiFi. For gaming, 4K streaming, work from home, and any stationary device, ethernet provides vastly superior performance. WiFi offers convenience for mobile devices at the cost of speed and reliability.
Use ethernet wherever practical and WiFi where mobility is necessary. Test your speeds with CyberSpeedTest on both connections to see the real-world difference in your setup.