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Which internet connection is faster?

P

pilotkid

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 22, 2006
1,001
198
Chandler, AZ
Hey everyone! I just picked up a 24inch iMac today from my local Apple store, so far I'm LOVING it! My question is, which internet connection is faster, a wired or wireless? I'm using a Motorola cable modem that is hooked up to my Airport Extreme(Dual Band). Is it quicker to use the wireless from the Airport or a ethernet connection from the Airport Extreme directly to the back of my iMac via a CAT6 ethernet cord?

Thanks in advance for your help and happy 4th!!!
 
Ok, thanks...I'll just leave it wireless...It just seems like we have so many things connected to the internet wirelessly that I thought maybe wired would be faster.
Thanks again!
 
Wired is always faster unless router is next to your computer. I've tested it, 225KB/s when wireless and 260KB/s wired. There won't be big difference though, less than 5KB/s
 
Yeah, if you're in the States or Canada, anything faster than 802.11g is really nothing. Except for the distance range I guess...
 
Although there may be no scientific basis for arguing a difference in speed, in real life I have found that a wired connection is faster, esp given the real-life probability that the machine will be parked a good distance from the router. The farther away, the weaker the signal.
 
Some smart folks around these here Mac Rumors parts so that can lead to people taking posts very literally. I think that may have happened here regarding your question OP.

In perfect conditioned theory good wireless connection should be as fast as your wired connection (here in the US of A). However such perfect conditions rarely exist so almost any Wifi connection ( a through n ) will more often than not have greater speed/connection fluctuations vs. a good old plugged in wired connection. If it's within your means to plug in I say do just that - you'll get the most reliable throughput and speeds wired.
 
wbgordon said:
Although there may be no scientific basis for arguing a difference in speed, in real life I have found that a wired connection is faster, esp given the real-life probability that the machine may be parked a good distance from the router. The farther away, the weaker the signal.
Click to expand...

I agree, on my labtop I get around 300KB/s on my desktop I can get up to 1MB/s (but this is on wireless g and at quite a distance)
 
Base wireless speeds vary:

802/11b = 11Mbps
802.11g = 54Mbps
802.11n = 104Mbps

Wired is either 100Mbps or 1000Mbps depending upon the router.

Those are the advertised numbers but wireless will depend upon distance. Typically in a house you won't notice much anyway. Additionally, as mentioned already, for internet use just about any of these will suffice. If you have a relatively new router you'll have at least G wireless since B is 10 years old. All the new Macs have N built in and their wireless basestations are also N.

The reason you'll notice the faster speed is if you have multiple computers and transfer data between them. I play videos, music, etc. off my G5 over wireless G and it's plenty fast enough.
 
Wired is faster because of the overhead from encryption on wireless but I doubt most people will notice the difference unless you have factors which reduce the wifi performance. Things like thick walls, water/fish tanks, electrical interference can be a problem.
 
Thanks everyone. My Airport Extreme is about a foot away from my iMac. I still think I might just use a eithernet cord to take the strain off of the wireless, there are two other MacBooks, 2 Blackberries, a Apple TV, and PS3 that all use the wireless so I'm thinking the load on our wireless has got to be up there. I can notice a difference when everything is connected, or at least I think I can:rolleyes:

Thanks again for all of your replies!
 
That's pretty fast download speed. Was this wired? Who is your ISP?

I was not referring to you, Hellhammer. You must be using dialup from a Helsinki telephone company circa 1877.
 
wbgordon said:
I was not referring to you, Hellhammer. You must be using dialup from a Helsinki telephone company circa 1877.
Click to expand...

Was that insult or something? I'm paying (my dad is) for 2Mb/s and it's fastest what you can get here (I'm at my family's "summer home").

I'm waiting for fiber cable to arrive for my home area, should come in few years.
 
Hellhammer said:
Was that insult or something? I'm paying (my dad is) for 2Mb/s and it's fastest what you can get here (I'm at my family's "summer home").

I'm waiting for fiber cable to arrive for my home area, should come in few years.
Click to expand...

Apologies. I thought you were being sarcastic with your post. If that's the actual download speed you are dealing with, you have my full U.S. sympathies.
 
wbgordon said:
Apologies. I thought you were being sarcastic with your post. If that's the actual download speed you are dealing with, you have my full U.S. sympathies.
Click to expand...

Yes that is. I'll be moving to my own apartment early next year I think and there's a fiber cable connection. I'm getting a 110Mb/s network there
 
Hellhammer said:
Yes that is. I'll be moving to my own apartment early next year I think and there's a fiber cable connection. I'm getting a 110Mb/s network there
Click to expand...

110 mbps? Wow! Can you send them over here?

My speed (Verizon FiOS) using my recently purchased MacBook Pro (2.66 ghz, 4GB DDR3 RAM):

 
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