Ethernet Wired vs Wifi Internet Questions

pauly01

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Oct 3, 2013
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I created a thread about my internet going out every night at 3:40am and people say its a power issue since the router powers off at that time when i take a look at the router. Now want to ask a ethernet wired question vs wifi internet.


http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1850403/wifi-building-night-time.html

So to sum it up, i am living in a furnished apartment that includes everything including internet. Problem is internet is wifi only so i cannot do wired. Obviously i prefered wired. I live about 3 floors up from where the router is located. I was told internet is very fast and reliable but some times it does get a bit slow and it definitely is.


In the room where the router is located, there is 2 routers. Well one i think is a router and the other is the modem/router. One is TP Link Wr340gd router. The other is a linksys cisco modem/router... not 100 percent sure. There are many wires that are connected to the tp link wr340gd router. What i found strange was there were 2 wires that connected it to 2 different apartments that are in the same floor as where the router is. Does that mean those 2 apartments they connected an ethernet wire and connect it wired internet? Those 2 wires... each one of them go from that room... to their apartment. And thus i can do wired as well if i can connect an ethernet cable from my laptop all the way to that router? Note... there is only one spot left in the back of the router left to put in another ethernet cable. The other wires are all filled up.


I also want to mention there are 2 wifi connections. Lets call them Connection A and Connection B. Both have the same password if i want to connect to either one. I always choose connection A. But if connection A has problems or doesn''t work, i choose B. Usually one of them will work very good while the other is either good, okay or not that good. So i always see these 2 connections when im on my laptop until that time of course. However what i found strange is why is it always one connection works while the other i cannot connect to?
 
Solution
In general ethernet will always be better than wireless. You should be able to plug into the same device the other user who have wired do. If there are not enough ports just buy a $20 switch and you have more ports.

Running the cable under the door and down the hall is not a technical problem you can go 300ft and it will work fine. Most the issue is safety related to someone tripping over the wire. Buy longer than you need so you can at least make a effort to keep i out the way by taping it the base boards or running it around the top of the doors rather than across the floor.

pauly01

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Oct 3, 2013
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What i want to know is does that mean i can just buy a very long ethernet cable and then connect it to that router to my laptop then i would get a very fast and reliable internet connection? The thing is this... in my apartment... there is another door that i had no clue what it went to. I opened it and then it actually goes downstairs and if you go downstairs a few floors down or so... the router is all the way down there. I had thought couldn't i just use an ethernet cable and plug it to my laptop then extend and then have it go through the bottom of that door and when i have that door opened... i just drop the ethernet cable all the way down to where the router is? Then once i do that, i then walk downstairs to the room where the router is and then plug it into one of the ethernet ports? The thing is i can actually walk downstairs from that other exit but its kind of tough walking down those stairs as oppose to a regular staircase when i open my regular door. And the other thing is i cannot connect the long ethernet cable from my laptop to the router from my main apartment door to that room directly b/c that wire would be obstructing the staircase if you know what i mean.


I guess thats the reason why my apartment have that other door next to it where you open it and its basically like another way to get downstairs?


Because the person told me there isn't wired internet just wireless... but then when i saw there were 2 ethernet cables that connected from the router and then saw it went to 2 differerent apt on same floor... i thought aren't they doing wired instead of wifi?


The other thing is i actually saw there was an ethernet cable that went from the router that went all the way upstairs. Its like an ethernet cable that hanged a few floors up near my apartment. However... the ethernet cable seemed to be attached to these white spots on the wall? Im not sure how to say it but imagine the router... then a blue ethernet cable connected to it that went all the way up to the ceiling.. only difference is its like stuck to white tape a few inches every few spots away. Does anyone know what i mean by this? I guess its like this so that ethernet cable would be more stable?




So if i connect it wired with an ethernet cable, would i have to do the same thing like that blue ethernet cable that is connected from router and goes all the way upstairs? Or can i just basically just drop the ethernet cable like that downstairs. It would like im dropping a rope a few floors down if you know what i mean.


I dont mind wifi but i hear wifi is much slower than wired and not stable. So would you say its better for me to do this? Also i think i probably would need minimum 50 feet wire? I know for sure a 20 feet wire wouldn't be long enough if i had to attach this cable and have it go a few floors down if you know what i mean.


Just want to make sure before i go and buy a 50 or 100 feet ethernet cable.



Thank you.
 
In general ethernet will always be better than wireless. You should be able to plug into the same device the other user who have wired do. If there are not enough ports just buy a $20 switch and you have more ports.

Running the cable under the door and down the hall is not a technical problem you can go 300ft and it will work fine. Most the issue is safety related to someone tripping over the wire. Buy longer than you need so you can at least make a effort to keep i out the way by taping it the base boards or running it around the top of the doors rather than across the floor.
 
Solution

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