If you go back a few decades, virtual reality only existed in science fiction movies and novels. Fast forward to today and the digital world has become a vital component of our everyday life. Ideally, we do everything online, from dating to studying, to shopping and much more.

Even so, it’s amazing how we take everything we do on the internet for granted. For instance, our adoration of convenience has driven us to prefer Wi-Fi to other forms of internet connection. But have you ever taken a moment to think about what you are giving up for the sake of convenience?

In the not so distant past, you could only connect your devices to the internet through a hardwired connection using ethernet cables. While the use of these cables may seem obsolete today, you’d be surprised at how effective they can still be in today’s world.

Yes, Wi-Fi technology may have overshadowed its use, but ethernet cables offer plenty of advantages that surpass those provided by wireless connections. Continue reading to learn and see more reasons as to why you should use an ethernet cable for hardwiring your devices.

1. Swift Connection Speeds

One of the most significant benefits of using ethernet wiring is faster connection speeds. Ethernet cables provide a direct physical connection to your internet as opposed to using a signal connection that travels wirelessly across a certain distance. Your internet response time will also be much faster if you use a hardwired connection.

A modern ethernet connection can reach speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second, compared to Wi-Fi which has an average speed of 1 gigabit per second. With such speeds, it is highly unlikely that you’ll experience lag meaning you can accomplish your online tasks quickly and easily.

2. Minimal Latency

In the tech industry, latency simply means the amount of time it takes for your data to travel from your device to the internet and vice versa.

For instance, when you send an email and click the send button, you will typically have to wait for a few seconds for the mail to complete updating before receiving the dispatched notification. The few seconds you wait for the mail to be sent is what is described as latency. The lower the latency, the higher the speed of getting an adequate response.

With almost no lag time, you stand to get a faster response when loading your web pages and downloading or uploading data. Since ethernet cables have fast internet connections, you will experience lower latency. Also, considering the different categories of ethernet cable, as an internet user you’ll have a more defined say on your desired internet speed.

3. Provide Better Security

Your data security is something you should seriously consider when accessing the internet. This is more important especially today where there seem to be data hacks and breaches reported just about every day. The internet is rife with data hackers with malicious intent. The good news is that ethernet cables can help keep your devices and personal information safe.

Although wireless internet connections have specific security protocols that help prevent unwarranted access, they are not entirely safe from hackers. Anyone with your Wi-Fi password can access your internet, and possibly your files and personal information in the process.

Since hardwiring doesn’t involve wireless network sharing, the internet can only be accessed by you, which makes it difficult for an outside hacker to penetrate your network systems. The hacker would need to physically access your system if it is hardwired, which is utterly difficult to do.

4. Ethernet Wiring is Very Reliable

As highlighted above, we are accustomed to doing everything online today. Whether you want to order for transport or food, access your bank account, communicate with friends and family, or even attend classes and lectures. A lot of services can be accessed through the internet.

However, what happens when you have slow internet connectivity or your internet signal is not strong enough? Such is always the case with Wi-Fi connections.

Wireless connections are often prone to a wide array of problems, especially if you try to access the internet from a distance far from the optimum wireless range. As if that’s not enough, sometimes wireless routers tend to crash or hang, and have to be reset. This can be quite confusing if you’re not in the slightest tech-savvy.

Hardwired connections such as ethernet cables are highly reliable. The network hardly breaks down unless there is a power outage in your house or office or there is an issue with your ISP (internet service provider). Wired connections mean you will get to enjoy steady internet access without having to worry about your range or your router hanging.

5. Distance Is Not an Issue

One of the biggest problems with wireless connections as mentioned above involves the strength of the signal. It all boils down to how close or far you are from the source of the signal.

Setting up your work station close to the router will have your internet-ready devices connecting easily to your network. But if you are far from the Wi-Fi signal, then you will experience internet connections at limited speeds (that’s if you will get any connection at all). This can be a very frustrating experience.

If you choose to hardwire your devices using ethernet cables, then distance will not be an issue. The mere fact that all your devices are directly wired to the source of your internet means that you will not experience any problem with the strength of your signal as a result of proximity.

Not experiencing drag or internet buffering means you can work faster and be more productive.

In a Nutshell

Although today’s internet-ready devices are increasingly phasing out hardwiring internet technology, it’s clear that they are still more important than you might think.

Regardless of whether you are a gamer, web developer, or a remote worker, hardwiring your devices using ethernet will offer you a certain peace of mind that you won’t otherwise experience with Wi-Fi. This is not to say that Wi-Fi is not efficient but if you want to have a better online experience, then you should consider having a wired LAN connection as a reliable solution.