cat5 versus wireless G router

[Heifetz]

I haven't tested this yet, but is there a huge difference between using a cat5 versus 54mbps wireless about 5 feet away? I don't like the looks of a cat5 running around my room, even though it's stapled to the walls, but I also want the fastest possible speed for torrent, news, etc.

 

[MrChad]

Not sure why this is in the OS forum ...

Anyway, it depends. For internet-related activities, you won't notice any difference in speed, because the maximum upload and download rates of your cable or DSL line are much lower than the transfer rates of Ethernet or 802.11g. Wireless connections are susceptible to interference from other wireless 2.4 GHz devices, so if you have a 2.4 GHz phone in your room, it might cause some issues.

 

[Heifetz]

not sure why this is in the OS forum either, but that could explain why there aren't more replies! Thanks

 

[IceBreakerG]

If the router is only 5ft away, why even bother trying to go wireless anyway? My router is on my desk, my desktop is on the floor. It's wired to the router because its pointless to go wireless when its that close.

 

[F91Gundam]

If it's only 5ft away and you're not carrying your computer around your place. Just use Cat5.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Heifetz
I haven't tested this yet, but is there a huge difference between using a cat5 versus 54mbps wireless about 5 feet away? I don't like the looks of a cat5 running around my room, even though it's stapled to the walls, but I also want the fastest possible speed for torrent, news, etc.

In short, Wireless G will not provide any loss whatsoever in bittorrent speeds, especially from 5 feet away. Right now I am running a WRT54G router out in my living room (Using the DD-WRT 22SP1 firmware for enhanced bittorrent capabilities). I use a WMP54G wirless card, and my roomate runs a 100 foot CAT 6 cable underneath the house to his room. In counterstrike, our pings are identical, and sometimes I actually have a better ping than him, sometimes his is better than mine.

In bittorrent our download speeds are identical. I do recommend getting a Linksys or D-Link brand router (do a little HW), because a bad router or bad card = random disconnects, or spikes, which can be annoying. However the biggest thing to think about, most internet is no faster than 1Mbps, so even wireless B at close ranges will be the exact same as CAT5 or 6 cable when contacting the internet. Really G/Cat 6 is only usefull for enhanced speeds on your network.