5 Drawbacks Of Using Ethernet Cables For Home Internet

If you occasionally face network-related issues over Wi-Fi, whether it’s slow internet speeds or high latency, you may have considered switching to a wired connection. It seems simple, too. You get an Ethernet cable, plug one end of it into the router and the other into the device. But, as surprising as it may sound, setting up an Ethernet connection at home is neither simple nor convenient for many users. And it isn’t the best option either. Sometimes, Wi-Fi just makes more sense.

There are several downsides to using Ethernet cables. For instance, you sacrifice portability. While this works with largely stationary devices, smaller, more portable devices may suffer. There’s also the cost consideration. You can connect multiple devices to a regular home router without noticing any major impact on performance, but if you have the same in a wired setup, you will need as many or more Ethernet cables. Your router’s Ethernet ports are another limiting factor you can’t ignore. To bypass this limitation, you will need to invest in a network switch, an additional expense. And let’s not forget the cable runs themselves, which can be a hassle to set up.

Remember, there’s no denying that Ethernet has its benefits over Wi-Fi. The connection is more stable, has lower latency, and is less prone to interference from household appliances. So, if you are into gaming or other latency-intensive tasks, using Ethernet cables makes perfect sense. But for others, the downsides may far outweigh the benefits.

One of the biggest drawbacks of using Ethernet cables is that you can’t move the devices around as freely. As we said earlier, this may not be a problem with desktops, gaming consoles, and smart TVs — basically devices that stay in one place — but your laptop is designed to be moved around. And with an Ethernet cable, it’s restricted to a particular spot. If the cable is long enough, you can move it a little, but you will still be limited by its length. As a result, you lose out on the freedom to work in any corner of the house.

Of course, you can unplug the Ethernet cable as you please, but that defeats the very purpose of setting up a wired connection. You invest in cables and, sometimes, other networking devices, only to switch back to Wi-Fi because there’s little freedom of movement. Another option is to run Ethernet cables through the house and have a wall jack in every room, but that’s expensive.

That’s why a wired setup may not be the best choice if Wi-Fi already meets your requirements. Ethernet predates Wi-Fi by over two decades, and there’s a reason why people moved to the latter. Devices were no longer stationary; they had to be moved around, and Wi-Fi made that possible.

For the longest time, it wouldn’t have been wrong to say that Ethernet is faster than Wi-Fi, but that’s no longer the case, at least for the average home user. We now have newer Wi-Fi generations that can deliver multi-Gbps speeds. So, as long as your router is in an optimal position near the critical devices, you should get good speeds. It goes without saying that older ones, say Wi-Fi 4 routers, may struggle, but newer ones, like Wi-Fi 6 and 7 routers, offer better performance, speed, and range.

Switching to Ethernet does not automatically guarantee faster speeds. There are a lot of variables at play. For instance, you could be using an older-generation Ethernet cable, say CAT5, which was designed to deliver speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Similarly, your router’s Ethernet ports could be the bottleneck in the network. That’s because not all Ethernet ports work the same way on your router. Some deliver faster speeds; others may be slower, and you may even find a dedicated gaming port on some routers that automatically prioritizes traffic from the connected device.

That said, Ethernet is still more stable and has lower latency. But if all you are looking for is faster internet speeds, perhaps upgrading the router will do the trick. It will also save you from the inconvenience of running Ethernet cables.

Running a cable from your router to a nearby PC isn’t necessarily a problem. A neater setup will require a little bit of effort, but it’s still relatively easy. Running cables throughout the house for every device, on the other hand, is a challenge. The bigger the house, the bigger the challenge, unless the cables are pre-routed.

As soon as the cable hits the floor, it suddenly becomes more exposed. Someone may trip over the cable, or your pet may chew on it. There are many ways it could be damaged. As for concealing the cables, cable raceways are an option, but they entail additional expense. Similarly, you could run cables through the walls for a more permanent setup, but this, too, is not an easy feat. In homes with multiple floors, the setup is even more complicated.

Remember, running Ethernet cables from your router to different devices is not the problem. That’s the easy part. You simply need cables of the right length. The real challenge lies in making the setup more aesthetically pleasing rather than looking temporary. You could get a professional to do it, but that’s another expense. That money could instead be spent on a modern router and a Wi-Fi mesh system, which could significantly improve signal strength and, in turn, internet speeds across the entire house.

For many people, Ethernet cables seem like the only requirement for a wired connection. But that’s far from true, especially if you plan to connect five to seven devices using Ethernet. Generally speaking, an average home router, even modern ones, has 4-5 Ethernet ports. Among them, one is typically reserved for the WAN connection. So, you have only 3-4 left.

This means you can only connect that many devices. If you have more, you will need a network switch. A network switch typically has anywhere from 5 to 48 LAN ports and lets you connect multiple devices to the network. And while a network switch is not that expensive, it’s still an expense most people don’t factor in initially. Similarly, if you don’t have cables that are long enough, you will need Ethernet couplers to join two or more cables, another expense many overlook.

A basic setup with one or two devices connected to the router via Ethernet cables doesn’t cost much. All you need are a couple of Ethernet cables, and they are affordable. But as the complexity of the setup increases, so does the cost. Apart from that, every new networking device you introduce is a potential bottleneck in your network and an additional potential point of failure.

Ethernet is reliable and stable, but you benefit from this only when the device can actually connect using it. While you will find an Ethernet port on computer monitors, smart TVs, gaming consoles, desktops, and more, many devices we rely on heavily don’t have one. Even laptop manufacturers are dropping Ethernet ports from newer models to achieve thinner, sleeker designs. That’s why you don’t see an Ethernet port on many modern laptops.

So, for devices like your smartphones, tablets, and laptops, you will need a dedicated USB-to-Ethernet adapter to establish a wired connection. Additionally, depending on the port type on your devices, you may need more than one adapter. For instance, you may need a USB-A-to-Ethernet adapter for your laptop and a USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter for your smartphones and tablets. Let’s not forget that you will need an adapter that supports the internet speed your ISP offers. Besides, devices like smart plugs and other smart home appliances don’t support wired connections, so you will always have to rely on Wi-Fi.

All of this makes the setup much less appealing to the average home user. If Wi-Fi already meets your requirements, there’s little reason to switch to Ethernet cables. While Ethernet lowers latency and improves connection stability, you sacrifice convenience and portability and often end up spending way more than you initially anticipated.