# Would I get a better internet speed via an ethernet cable than my wi-fi network? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-get-a-better-internet-speed-via-an-ethernet-cable-than-my-wi-fi-network/592771 "2011-08-15T11:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-get-a-better-internet-speed-via-an-ethernet-cable-than-my-wi-fi-network/592771/1 "2011-08-15T11:06:48Z")
I have high speed broadband at home (although this is in the UK so the definition of high speed may differ to some other countries - I think I’m on 8mb currently) but I don’t get the feeling that I’m getting the highest speed I could do when I’m streaming stuff or downloading. The router is only across the room from where my PC is and it’s an N level one, and my ethernet board is pretty high spec, so I would have though it’s transmitting data at an optimal rate, yet still it doesn’t feel as fast as I’d expect. What are the chances that I’ll get a faster transfer speed if I just got back into the stone ages and connect my router to my PC with an ethernet cable instead? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-get-a-better-internet-speed-via-an-ethernet-cable-than-my-wi-fi-network/592771/2 "2011-08-15T11:41:54Z")
I doubt if it would make any difference. Home Wireless is generally capable of speeds a lot higher than the broadband connection coming into your house. If there is a bottleneck, it is probably further upstream with your ISP. If you are on Windows, though, you _might_ be able to improve things with [some registry tweaks](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620287). (There are actually several relevant settings that can be tweaked, but which, if any, will help your particular setup may be hard to determine. I believe there are some freeware programs out there thatwill help you with it though. Sorry I don’t have a URL at my fingertips.) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-get-a-better-internet-speed-via-an-ethernet-cable-than-my-wi-fi-network/592771/3 "2011-08-15T12:17:12Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I have high speed broadband at home (although this is in the UK so the definition of high speed may differ to some other countries - I think I’m on 8mb currently) but I don’t get the feeling that I’m getting the highest speed I could do when I’m streaming stuff or downloading. The router is only across the room from where my PC is and it’s an N level one, and my ethernet board is pretty high spec, so I would have though it’s transmitting data at an optimal rate, yet still it doesn’t feel as fast as I’d expect. > > What are the chances that I’ll get a faster transfer speed if I just got back into the stone ages and connect my router to my PC with an ethernet cable instead? You can test your speed here > **[Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test](https://www.speedtest.net/)** > > Use Speedtest on all your devices with our free desktop and mobile apps. If you are getting 7.5+ mb/s that’s probably maxed out, though a hard wired connection may reduce latency. ---
**Author:** ![abel29a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@abel29a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel29a)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-get-a-better-internet-speed-via-an-ethernet-cable-than-my-wi-fi-network/592771/4 "2011-08-15T14:37:02Z")
Actually, altough Wireless should give you plenty more speed than whatever the external connection provides, I’ve often felt the same thing. And, doing some not so very scientific experimentation, I’ve done some test doing standard downloading stuff (bittorrent and such). My very scientific method was using my desktop computer - start a download, see what speed I achieved with cables, then pausing the download, switching to the wireless nic and continuing the download. In my experience, Wireless generally gives a more unstable download speed - altough sometimes I get the same rates as I do when cabled, othertimes I get significantly lower speeds. Also, with more people connected on the wireless, this goes down further. My recommendation - try it. Start a big download from some more or less reliable source and compare the speeds over time. ETA: > [@kanicbird](#): > > If you are getting 7.5+ mb/s that’s probably maxed out, though a hard wired connection may reduce latency. I agree - I keep my desktop (gaming rig) hardwired for just this. Trying online head to head on a wireless is often very annoying latency-wise. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-i-get-a-better-internet-speed-via-an-ethernet-cable-than-my-wi-fi-network/592771/5 "2011-08-16T01:00:15Z")
It really depends. All you can do is try and see. I was surprised that my netbook downloads just as fast as my desktop, when only the latter is ever plugged in. And the latency is still less than 100 ms.