A wired Ethernet and a Wifi extender are awesome for getting an internet connection wherever you want.
Wifi Extender is an excellent method to extend or boost the internet connection to your desired place or a place far from your central Wifi.
But, with an unstable connection, you may think, Is Ethernet Cable better than Wifi Extender?
The answer is YES! A wired Ethernet connection is far better than wifi frequency. Ethernet cable can provide a stable internet connection to your desired place. Wifi can often lose its connection for many reasons, but Ethernet is not that unstable.
So with an ethernet cable, you can reach your desired place and run the internet smoothly, but ensure it should be within a 90meters area.
Because after that much length your internet may lose its speed slightly. Let’s learn why you should move to ethernet if you’re using Wifi Extender.
Why is Ethernet Cable better than Wifi Extender?
There are a bunch of benefits to using Ethernet over Wifi extender. So here I’ve listed a few advantages of switching to an Ethernet cable from a Wifi extender.
# Stable Connection
Who does love having an internet connection that has distractions? No One!
Whether you are doing small work like surfing the internet and doing office work, or maybe you used to do heavy tasks like gaming, streaming, or other work, you need a stable connection.
So, with a wifi connection, you might not be able to get a perfectly stable connection, or it might have some stability issues. Also, with an old wifi extender, the case is worse.
Hence, it is always better to use a wired connection to have the best stability during your work.
# More Speed
When we use a WIFI connection, the internet frequency has to travel by air. Thus, it takes time at airtime allotment, and we get slow internet.
But, with a wired connection, we eliminate the airtime and buffer bloat, which makes the wired connection super fast. A direct connection is always great rather than an indirect one!
Thus, having an Ethernet connection is more awesome than the WIFI Extender.
# More Bandwidth
Bandwidth is one of the main factors in having a great internet connection. Bandwidth shows the max data transmitted to an internet connection within a limited period.
But, Did you know a WIFI connection cuts your internet bandwidth in half? Yes! You’ve heard it right. Your wifi connection can reduce 50% of your bandwidth.
Thus, you’ll transmit a minimum amount of data within a limited time, meaning you’ll have a slow connection.
So this is one of the greatest reasons for choosing an ethernet over a wifi extender.
# Cheaper Option
Currently, we all used to save our budget. Whether it is a small amount or a big amount, we feel good about saving some pennies.
So, if you compare an Ethernet with a WIFI Extender, you’ll find a massive price difference. WIFI Extenders are expensive, whereas you can set up an Ethernet connection at a very cheap price.
Here’re a few prices comparison between WIFI Extender vs. Ethernet cables [data collected from amazon.com may vary in other stores].
| Ethernet | Prices | Area | WIFI Extenders | Prices | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Basics RJ45 | $13 | 50 foot | TP-Link AC750 | $24 | 1200 sqft |
| Cable Matters Long Cat 6 | $29 | 150 foot | NETGEAR EX6120-100NAS | $44 | 1500 sqft |
So, you can see a good price difference. Also, your environment will play an essential role in your WIFI signal. If you have walls and various significant objects, they can reduce your signal massively.
While buying a WIFI extender, you should have a disclaimer about that thing.
# Less to No Lag & Less Latency
As I mentioned earlier, a wireless connection will have airtime and buffer bloat; it will reduce your speed, which means if you are a gamer, then be ready for latency to increase.
Hence using a wired connection for tasks like gaming and streaming is suggested.
Similarly, the wireless connection is also laggy. So you’ll have difficulty playing games on your devices with a wireless connection.
For gamers, I never suggest having a wireless connection.
# Perfect for Heavy Tasks
An Ethernet cable is always best for heavy tasks like gaming, streaming, uploading, and too much downloading big files. Considering the above factors, you can easily understand why a Wired connection is better for heavy internet users.
Because with a slow wireless connection, you’ll feel stuck and make yourself exhausted.
So heavy taskers should have an Ethernet rather than a wifi connection.
Does the WiFi Extender Slow Down WiFi Speed Too?
No, WIFI Extenders don’t decrease the actual speed, as the WIFI Extenders are made in a way to boost your internet connection. So, don’t worry about the speed. Still, you may have a weak internet connection due to various reasons.
A wireless connection often reflects the speed, and you might have slow internet. There might also be other reasons to slow down the internet, as wireless is unreliable. You can check this post too.
But, to make sure you get a good speed, check the suggestion discussed below.
Should You Replace Your WIFI Extender with Ethernet?
If you already have a WIFI Extender and having a hard time with that connection, then I strongly recommend you replace it with an Ethernet connection. You can also use your WIFI extender while doing small tasks, like surfing the internet, messaging, and others.
I don’t think you’ll have that many issues with a WIFI Extender for everyday tasks. I want to use my WIFI extender while running small devices or smartphones & tablets, and for working on the laptop, it is best to use an Ethernet cable.
As a note, I suggest you check your Internet provider before having an Ethernet cable. Because often you may have problems with the network provider and other stuff and then think it is because of WIFI.
People often think of having both connections simultaneously, but that is not a good idea for anyone.
Do You Need Ethernet For Wi-Fi Extender?
To make your WIFI Extender more effective, it is always a great idea to connect it with a LAN or Ethernet connection to the router. An Ethernet connection with your Extender can make a great internet access point.
So having an Ethernet for your WIFI Extender can help you to get a stable Internet connection, but it may not give you a speed boost.
But most people don’t do this; they connect with their router wirelessly. Thus they ended up having an unstable Internet connection due to various reasons.
So, if you’re blaming your WIFI Extender for unstable internet and planning to have an Ethernet connection, it is always wise to check your WIFI Extender by connecting it with your router with an ethernet cable first.
After that, if you still think it is not suitable, then you can have a separate ethernet cable connection.
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