ᐅ Are Ethernet ports still relevant today? Wi-Fi and wireless connections are the future!
Created on: 29 Jan 2020 21:06
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Bauherr am L
Hello fellow cable enthusiasts and Wi-Fi addicts,
I already confessed in the SAT discussion that I consider coax outlets and satellite dishes completely outdated since entertainment is streamed nowadays, and I’m not planning to include them in our new build (more on that in the SAT discussion). But that’s not what this is about.
Right now, I’m trying to smartly distribute LAN duplex Cat 6a and Cat7 cable outlets throughout the rooms (1st floor: 2 kids’ rooms, kids’ bathroom, master bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, hallway; 2nd floor: open living/dining/kitchen area, hallway, entrance area, guest restroom).
On one hand, I feel like none of the rooms really fit the outlets perfectly, like: “the desk could go here…” But what if the TV ends up in that corner instead?
On the other hand, I’m looking at our current devices and very few still have LAN ports: MacBooks, iPhones, tablets, or devices that have LAN options but mostly connect via Wi-Fi anyway, like Sonos, printers, TVs.
So the question arises whether LAN ports in rooms are still that important today. I’m not talking about the Wi-Fi access points, which of course should be connected via LAN in a convenient location, or special cases like PoE cameras and door intercoms. I’m mainly referring to the LAN outlets in individual rooms. Most end devices are mobile anyway, and the outlets will be in the wrong place 99% of the time.
I read (yes, I spent some time researching this) that the cost of LAN outlets is negligible. Well, if I install duplex outlets in all those questionable locations, the cost for switches and everything else adds up to a nice chunk.
I would be interested in your opinion on this. Since I am straightforwardly skipping any traditional TV (in our case only satellite would be possible) and the corresponding connections, wouldn’t it be consistent to also counteract the outlet overload regarding LAN?
Looking forward to your comments, thanks!
I already confessed in the SAT discussion that I consider coax outlets and satellite dishes completely outdated since entertainment is streamed nowadays, and I’m not planning to include them in our new build (more on that in the SAT discussion). But that’s not what this is about.
Right now, I’m trying to smartly distribute LAN duplex Cat 6a and Cat7 cable outlets throughout the rooms (1st floor: 2 kids’ rooms, kids’ bathroom, master bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, hallway; 2nd floor: open living/dining/kitchen area, hallway, entrance area, guest restroom).
On one hand, I feel like none of the rooms really fit the outlets perfectly, like: “the desk could go here…” But what if the TV ends up in that corner instead?
On the other hand, I’m looking at our current devices and very few still have LAN ports: MacBooks, iPhones, tablets, or devices that have LAN options but mostly connect via Wi-Fi anyway, like Sonos, printers, TVs.
So the question arises whether LAN ports in rooms are still that important today. I’m not talking about the Wi-Fi access points, which of course should be connected via LAN in a convenient location, or special cases like PoE cameras and door intercoms. I’m mainly referring to the LAN outlets in individual rooms. Most end devices are mobile anyway, and the outlets will be in the wrong place 99% of the time.
I read (yes, I spent some time researching this) that the cost of LAN outlets is negligible. Well, if I install duplex outlets in all those questionable locations, the cost for switches and everything else adds up to a nice chunk.
I would be interested in your opinion on this. Since I am straightforwardly skipping any traditional TV (in our case only satellite would be possible) and the corresponding connections, wouldn’t it be consistent to also counteract the outlet overload regarding LAN?
Looking forward to your comments, thanks!
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Bauherr am L29 Jan 2020 21:49Okay, alternative solutions (e.g., powerline networking) do exist. But in a new build, it would rather be a fail to skip installing LAN outlets and then start cobbling together workarounds.
For me, it’s more about the fundamental principle...
For me, it’s more about the fundamental principle...
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Bauherr am L29 Jan 2020 21:50Bookstar schrieb:
LAN only for access points. Three outlets in the house are enough. The rest is expensive and unnecessary. You recognized that correctly. But to be safe, I installed one outlet per room.
The TV has a LAN port but is connected via Wi-Fi. I don’t see any reason for cables anymore. Those times are over.That’s exactly how I see it too, after first trying to distribute LAN outlets meaningfully. Do you use the outlets in the rooms that you installed just to be safe?
The repeater is connected by cable. Everything else is via Wi-Fi. This is more than fast enough and just as stable as a wired connection. But I’m not a conspiracy theorist either. In the boiler room, I also have an Ethernet outlet because, for the heating and ventilation systems, there’s no other option. You should keep that in mind.
The topic again
Today, the rule still applies: use wired connections for stationary devices or whenever high performance is needed. Currently, Wi-Fi is significantly slower than gigabit Ethernet (let’s not even talk about 10 gigabit and beyond) and the bandwidth has to be shared among multiple devices.
For MacBooks, there are 10 gigabit adapters available when working with larger data transfers.
Try connecting all devices to Wi-Fi and then test VoIP...
Not long ago, a user here started a funny thread about this. Let’s see if I can find it.
As a gamer, you also need low latency. That’s why Wi-Fi is often not an option...
The same applies to home automation: it’s better to use wired connections in new builds. Remote control does not equal automation...
Does your internet also come through the air into your house? Notice the difference?
Today, the rule still applies: use wired connections for stationary devices or whenever high performance is needed. Currently, Wi-Fi is significantly slower than gigabit Ethernet (let’s not even talk about 10 gigabit and beyond) and the bandwidth has to be shared among multiple devices.
For MacBooks, there are 10 gigabit adapters available when working with larger data transfers.
Try connecting all devices to Wi-Fi and then test VoIP...
Not long ago, a user here started a funny thread about this. Let’s see if I can find it.
As a gamer, you also need low latency. That’s why Wi-Fi is often not an option...
The same applies to home automation: it’s better to use wired connections in new builds. Remote control does not equal automation...
Does your internet also come through the air into your house? Notice the difference?
B
Bauherr am L29 Jan 2020 22:05rick2018 schrieb:
Here we go again.
No, even today the rule applies: connect stationary devices or when high performance is needed via cable. Currently, Wi-Fi is significantly slower than Gigabit (let alone 10 Gigabit and beyond) and has to be shared among multiple devices.
For MacBooks, there are 10 Gigabit adapters if you work with large amounts of data.
Try connecting all devices via Wi-Fi and then test VoIP...
Not long ago, a user here started a funny thread about this. Let’s see if I can find it.
As a gamer, you also need low latency. That rules out Wi-Fi, etc...
The same applies to home automation in new buildings: better to use cables. Remote control is not the same as automation...
Your Internet also comes into the house through the air? Notice that? At the moment, all of our devices are on Wi-Fi. We don’t have a NAS; everything is in the cloud. Occasionally, full data transfers like complete uploads or downloads during setup might take some time, but in everyday use, you don’t notice anything. And for those rare cases, one Ethernet outlet would be enough.
We are not gamers. We don’t want MacBook adapters. What’s the point of light, portable devices if you have to connect them via LAN? And, as mentioned, for those occasional times when larger data transfers are needed, you can always use a LAN outlet. But why install two duplex outlets per room if they’re in the wrong places anyway? You’d rather need four, and kids, mom, dad, etc., are surfing, streaming, or whatever on laptops, smartphones, or tablets wirelessly while sitting on the sofa...
The argument that Wi-Fi is slow and collapses as soon as another device connects is nonsense in my opinion. These people connect their printers via LAN (data amount is basically zero) and stream their UHD movies over Wi-Fi.
Funny side note: the Internet really does come through the air—hybrid connection, because, well, that’s Germany for you...
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