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I already confessed in the SAT discussion that I consider coax outlets and satellite dishes completely outdated since entertainment is streamed nowadays, and I’m not planning to include them in our new build (more on that in the SAT discussion).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!
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SteffenBank
7 Jan 2021 08:01
May I ask which access point has been installed?
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Olli-Ka
7 Jan 2021 08:09
Hello,
I would always install fixed network outlets for the TVs and at the desk.
The rest can be covered with Wi-Fi.
Olli
K1300S7 Jan 2021 08:09
I have tried this with several different devices, ranging from Fritz!Box and SpeedPort to TP Link, Netgear, and even very expensive enterprise equipment from Cisco, Juniper, and others. This is not the first access point I have set up, but precisely for that reason, I maintain that you cannot make general statements like yours without a detailed analysis of the specific circumstances.
Tarnari7 Jan 2021 08:23
SteffenBank schrieb:

Maybe you should consider your access point. Unless you have steel walls, you should get reception at a distance of 2m (6.5 feet).

I actually don’t have to, since there really are steel walls and a large mirrored wardrobe in between, plus the signal has to go around a corner. Sometimes that’s just how it is.
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Fragensteller2
7 Jan 2021 08:31
I also have one access point per floor (3) and the reception in the garden is still not very good. When it comes to speed, wired connections are naturally an advantage. However, I now have new access points from Ruckus, which were phased out at work. These definitely provide significantly higher speeds on the Wi-Fi. The unit price is over 500 € each.
rick20187 Jan 2021 09:35
The Rukus for €500 are relatively slow compared to modern access points. However, they are very good. The range is almost the same for all since the transmission power is limited here. In this case, the radiation pattern is more important.