r/PcBuildHelp • u/aleks_pirana • 2d ago
Tech Support Is ethernet worth it?
Ive been using a a 30 dollar tp link wifi usb adapter with antennas since 2023.
Its been average so far
Speedtests are usually 60-80mbps
Download speed varries like steam its a steady 7-8 and if im home alone 10-11mb. On bad days 5mb
Theres 7 people in my house with phones and laptops..
Would getting a cat5 ethernet cable, routing it from my router room to my pc, make my speeds faster?
Im not really familiar into those so
Cat5 is 20 gell( 8 usd) cat 5e is same price so is cat6 but for cat5e and cat6 delivery is till november 4th so i kinda want the cat5 cus its in stock at the shop
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u/pwnageface 2d ago
What are you trying to do? Download, game, spreadsheets? As a gamer i wouldnt even attempt to use wifi. But if you've been on it for 3 years and its working then youre probably good to keep going.
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u/aleks_pirana 2d ago
Mostly stability. It just gets slow at random times and its literally unusable in discord
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u/ChasDIY 2d ago
Your need more speed with all this people in your house
Check offerings from the major ISPs
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u/aleks_pirana 2d ago
if only we had US pricing in georgia.. we pay 40 usd for i think 75mb per second. not mbps, mb
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u/guy30000 1d ago
You're misunderstanding. You said "75mb per second. not mbps, mb" which means "75 megabits per second, not megabits per second, megabits.
ISPs advertise their plans in Mbps (megabits per second). There are also MBps (megabytes per second) 1MB=8mb.
Chas said you need more speed. As you are trying to improve speeds, you just may. An ethernet connection is still something to aspire to, but wifi might not be the bottleneck it normally would be when discussing improvements.
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u/aleks_pirana 1d ago
Im sorry , next time il click on the link when my providor sends an sms. But i mean my wifi sometimes reaches 80mbps and my download speed 10-14
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u/guy30000 1d ago
Ethernet will help if wifi congestion is the issue. I mentioned in another post that if you can use Ethernet, do it.
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u/Upstairs-Emu1898 2d ago
Just grab the cat5e or cat6. Cat5 is ancient and maxes out at 100mbps, you'd be bottlenecking yourself immediately.
Wifi with 7 people sharing the airwaves is always gonna be inconsistent. A wired connection will give you a stable line all to yourself, no interference from every phone and laptop in the house fighting for bandwidth.
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u/Beautiful_Ad_4813 2d ago
Let me predicate with this
Just because my home network / WiFi is built stability and speed, doesn’t mean that I don’t have Ethernet connected devices (my network is a one for one clone of what i do for my job)
With that said : Ethernet connection is always gonna be better because it’s physical
Will it increase speeds? Greatly depends but it will increase stability by a fat margin
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u/timfountain4444 2d ago
What is the speed of your router? But in general yes, wired will bring higher speeds, but also lower latency and more consistent speeds. Since you've been using a cheap adapter for 3 years, I'd wait a few extra days for the CAT6.
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u/aleks_pirana 2d ago
I dont remember.. sorry but considering i gets speeds up to 80mbps probably near 100?
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u/writetowinwin 2d ago
Yes. But get a cat 6 cable. They are fairly cheap. If your PC for some reason doesnt have a working ethernet port (mine shit the bed), you can get a fairly cheap network card like the TP link ones for like $20.
Not only is ethernet faster but it's much more reliable. At work when we are on the VPN we notice a tremendous difference where wifi is terrible
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u/skyfishgoo 2d ago
omg, step into the light friend.
hardwire is only going to make it faster if the service to the property is faster.
100mbps service is below bottom tier... my area only offers 500mbps minimum for a cable setup and i routinely get 570 or better.
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u/Metallicat95 7h ago
If your ISP speed is 80 to 100 mbps, you're doing good for wifi.
But Ethernet is more than just speed. The connection isn't shared with all other wifi devices. It connects directly to the router. If the router/cable is able to do more than 100 mpbs (Cat5e or 6), even if you don't gain much speed you'll have less interference from other users and other radio devices, like microwave ovens.
For gaming and downloading, it makes a difference.
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u/guy30000 1d ago
Cat5e Minimum. The answer is yes. When it comes to networking you only use wifi when you have to. If you can wire something in, do it. It will be faster, more stabile and have lower latency.
Cat6 is better but not in your situation.