I'm so confused about web speeds!

[MF270]

Help! My wireless card: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tTdqqs/gigabyte-wireless-network-card-gcwb867di. I was looking at this (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tp-link-powerline-av200-nano-adapter-starter-kit-white/2080154.p?skuId=2080154&cmp=RMX&extStoreId=835&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=c76219a6-d487-42b4-910e-bd7dc16cc111&ksprof_id=401&ksaffcode=pg255740&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2&gclid=CjwKCAiAmb7RBRATEiwA7kS8VD5ya3yhq8z9ZysdIy4J7AQYSet1OnWLWRh4My-IM_iPKYmGZVVUvxoCpAUQAvD_BwE) powerline adapter b/c I don't have ethernet near my computer. But it says that myWiFi card is significantly faster than both powerline, WiFi, and even Ethernet! Please explain!

[Lurick]

Wireless is theoretical speeds and you will 99.99999% of the time never get close to those speeds. You also can't send and receive at the same time with wireless so that cuts speed in half most of the time, if not more.

If you get good signal with wireless and your internet package speed is far less than the rated speed of the wireless adapter then you'll be fine.

[scottyseng]

4 minutes ago, MF270 said:

-snip-

Your Wi-Fi card there tops out at 867Mb/s, which isn't that high by today's standards. They have cards that do over 1300Mb/s. Sadly though, this figure is usually made up by combining the 2.4GHz and 5GHz network speeds (While you're only able to use one at a time).

 

Also, WiFi is theoretical speeds. Any interference, neighbors with poor IT skills, or other type of interference (microwaves do it too) will drop the total speed of WiFi a lot.

 

I would try powerline first. Keep in mind powerline is only decent if your electrical is decent. I would buy a set of powerline adapters at the store and then refund them if they don't work as good as expected.

[Donut417]

4 hours ago, MF270 said:

Help! My wireless card: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tTdqqs/gigabyte-wireless-network-card-gcwb867di. I was looking at this (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tp-link-powerline-av200-nano-adapter-starter-kit-white/2080154.p?skuId=2080154&cmp=RMX&extStoreId=835&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=c76219a6-d487-42b4-910e-bd7dc16cc111&ksprof_id=401&ksaffcode=pg255740&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2&gclid=CjwKCAiAmb7RBRATEiwA7kS8VD5ya3yhq8z9ZysdIy4J7AQYSet1OnWLWRh4My-IM_iPKYmGZVVUvxoCpAUQAvD_BwE) powerline adapter b/c I don't have ethernet near my computer. But it says that myWiFi card is significantly faster than both powerline, WiFi, and even Ethernet! Please explain!

Ethernet can support Full Duplex, that means it communicates in each direction at the same time. WiFi is Half duplex, meaning it can only communicate one direction at a time. Speed wise, you are guaranteed full speeds on Ethernet. WiFi has a lot of things that can cause issues. Like @Lurick states you wont get full speeds. I would say you might be lucky to get 2/3 of the speeds on average. THough this really depends on the environment your in. 

 

Power line Adapters are affected by the quality of the electrical wiring in your house. They work best on one circuit. Meaning, in a single room. When you have to pass the signal thru the breaker panel, it will cause speed loss. And god have mercy on your soul if you have to cross legs. Remember, the power company brings 2 wires in to your house, not one. One wire per side of the breaker panel. However, in most situations if Power line works, it will be more reliable. While WiFi, the environment is ever changing. Moisture in the air can cause interference. So, your never guaranteed anything. 

 

There also is a standard call MOCA. It uses the Coax in the wall instead of the electrical wiring. It CAN coexist with Cable and Internet service. Speed wise, Ive seen Moca 2.0 Adapters rated for 400 - 800 Mbps. Its half duplex like WiFi, but should be reliable like Ethernet. Adapters are expensive ish, Ive seen as low as $160 USD a pair. It also requires you to know how your Coax is ran in you house. Because if your using it on the same coax as cable and internet service, you have to put a moca filter on the main line coming in to your house, as it can cause interference on the cable network. Basically the filter shops your info from feeding back to the cable system. Moca uses higher frequencies on the line, 1 Ghz-1.5 Ghz which is why it can work with the cable companies services, but you need to make sure your data is not going back to their network. 

 

To further add to what @scottyseng said. Most of the speeds on routers are the combo of all the bands it uses. Some routers have 1 2.4 Ghz radio and 2 5Ghz radios in them and will have a redonkulus rating of like over 5000 Mbps. That is utter bull shit. Ive seen 2.4 Ghz top out at maybe 900 Mbps, and thats on the higher end AC hardware. Ive seen 5 Ghz up to over 1000 Mbps. But 5 Ghz lacks range and penetration power. So thats why you can expect those speeds. The fastest WiFi out is 802.11 AD, but it uses 60 Ghz and that WILL NOT go thru walls. Linus did testing on this. One of the routers he tested would not go thru the box it came in. So yeah. 

 

If I had to rate these 

1) Ethernet 

2) Moca

3) Power line

4) WiFi 

 

If you can do a wired connection. Ethernet preferably. Also, keep in mind that most ISP's wont give you more than 1 Gbps, and even that is few and far between. Ethernet should handle any speeds offered.  

[MF270]

23 hours ago, Donut417 said:

Ethernet can support Full Duplex, that means it communicates in each direction at the same time. WiFi is Half duplex, meaning it can only communicate one direction at a time. Speed wise, you are guaranteed full speeds on Ethernet. WiFi has a lot of things that can cause issues. Like @Lurick states you wont get full speeds. I would say you might be lucky to get 2/3 of the speeds on average. THough this really depends on the environment your in. 

 

Power line Adapters are affected by the quality of the electrical wiring in your house. They work best on one circuit. Meaning, in a single room. When you have to pass the signal thru the breaker panel, it will cause speed loss. And god have mercy on your soul if you have to cross legs. Remember, the power company brings 2 wires in to your house, not one. One wire per side of the breaker panel. However, in most situations if Power line works, it will be more reliable. While WiFi, the environment is ever changing. Moisture in the air can cause interference. So, your never guaranteed anything. 

 

There also is a standard call MOCA. It uses the Coax in the wall instead of the electrical wiring. It CAN coexist with Cable and Internet service. Speed wise, Ive seen Moca 2.0 Adapters rated for 400 - 800 Mbps. Its half duplex like WiFi, but should be reliable like Ethernet. Adapters are expensive ish, Ive seen as low as $160 USD a pair. It also requires you to know how your Coax is ran in you house. Because if your using it on the same coax as cable and internet service, you have to put a moca filter on the main line coming in to your house, as it can cause interference on the cable network. Basically the filter shops your info from feeding back to the cable system. Moca uses higher frequencies on the line, 1 Ghz-1.5 Ghz which is why it can work with the cable companies services, but you need to make sure your data is not going back to their network. 

 

To further add to what @scottyseng said. Most of the speeds on routers are the combo of all the bands it uses. Some routers have 1 2.4 Ghz radio and 2 5Ghz radios in them and will have a redonkulus rating of like over 5000 Mbps. That is utter bull shit. Ive seen 2.4 Ghz top out at maybe 900 Mbps, and thats on the higher end AC hardware. Ive seen 5 Ghz up to over 1000 Mbps. But 5 Ghz lacks range and penetration power. So thats why you can expect those speeds. The fastest WiFi out is 802.11 AD, but it uses 60 Ghz and that WILL NOT go thru walls. Linus did testing on this. One of the routers he tested would not go thru the box it came in. So yeah. 

 

If I had to rate these 

1) Ethernet 

2) Moca

3) Power line

4) WiFi 

 

If you can do a wired connection. Ethernet preferably. Also, keep in mind that most ISP's wont give you more than 1 Gbps, and even that is few and far between. Ethernet should handle any speeds offered.  

But why Moca? It's more expensive than powerline, WiFi, and Ethernet, only half duplex, and requires extensive technical knowledge (which I, tbh, lack). If poweline is full duplex, why shouldn't I use that? I get that powerline is affected by wiring, but I live in an apartment. How does it work them.

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, MF270 said:

But why Moca? It's more expensive than powerline, WiFi, and Ethernet, only half duplex, and requires extensive technical knowledge (which I, tbh, lack). If poweline is full duplex, why shouldn't I use that?

Power line has issue with interference. Hair Dryers, Refrigerators and other devices cause interference on the line. The fact is electricity doesn't give a shit about that, but the data will. Moca also can hit faster speeds. Ive never seen anyone here get the speeds promised on the power line adapters. I have seen people online state they get close to advertised speeds on Moca. Keep in mind also, coax is made to carry data. It is properly shielded and such. Which is why the cable company uses it for Internet service. Also, Cable companies use it for whole home DVR services. Plus, Im not entirely sure if Power line adapters are full duplex. The only cabling I know that is should be Ethernet. Another nail in the coffin is if you have an older home, because old wiring and power line adapters dont mix. 

 

Also, Moca doesn't really require technical knowledge. If you have cable and Internet from your cable company you SHOULD know how your cabling is set. Because I dont know about you, but my provider Comcast provides shitty support. So I have learned to fix my service for the most part myself. Its not hard to put a moca filter on the main line coming in. I mean its not rocket science, you dont need a Masters in Computer Information Systems. Moca hands down is the better standard. As Coax is designed to carry data and electrical cables were not. 

[MF270]

2 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Power line has issue with interference. Hair Dryers, Refrigerators and other devices cause interference on the line. The fact is electricity doesn't give a shit about that, but the data will. Moca also can hit faster speeds. Ive never seen anyone here get the speeds promised on the power line adapters. I have seen people online state they get close to advertised speeds on Moca. Keep in mind also, coax is made to carry data. It is properly shielded and such. Which is why the cable company uses it for Internet service. Also, Cable companies use it for whole home DVR services. Plus, Im not entirely sure if Power line adapters are full duplex. The only cabling I know that is should be Ethernet. Another nail in the coffin is if you have an older home, because old wiring and power line adapters dont mix. 

 

Also, Moca doesn't really require technical knowledge. If you have cable and Internet from your cable company you SHOULD know how your cabling is set. Because I dont know about you, but my provider Comcast provides shitty support. So I have learned to fix my service for the most part myself. Its not hard to put a moca filter on the main line coming in. I mean its not rocket science, you dont need a Masters in Computer Information Systems. Moca hands down is the better standard. As Coax is designed to carry data and electrical cables were not.

Fair enough, but again, cost is an issue. $160 is more than 10% of my PC. I really want to know what's the best value, UNDER a certain cost. 

[Donut417]

2 minutes ago, MF270 said:

Fair enough, but again, cost is an issue. $160 is more than 10% of my PC. I really want to know what's the best value, UNDER a certain cost. 

Have you tested WiFi in your location? My router was about 20 ft away from my computer before I moved it to my room. Going thru two walls, with 5 Ghz I was able to get 100% of the speed my ISP was giving. WiFi might not be perfect, but it can work. Probably helps the neighbor closes to me has no internet. Shes old. And none of my other neighbors are close enough to cause interference. 

 

Depending on where you live, you could also try to buy power line adapters. Its just there are no gaurentees . You need to try them to see if they work. Because who knows how good the wiring in the walls is. If its easy to return at the store then I would just go ahead. Most stores I have shopped at in the US make it very easy to return items. 

 

OR depending on how your house is built, it might not be too hard to run an Ethernet cable. For example my basement is not finished, so fishing cables up thru the basement is easy. Though my house also have 2 floors and getting up to the 2nd floor isnt possible. Which is why I moved my cable modem and router to my room. Just a thought.