6 ms·

Wifi sucks because Ethernet is still better in all aspects but mobility to this day.

emodendroket 10y ago
Wow, it's better "in all aspects but mobility"? You're kidding. You may as well complain that batteries suck because the only advantage they have over just plugging something in is portability.
- dijit 10y ago
  I suppose the difference is that I don't expect my television to run on batteries, but I do expect it to work on wifi.
  - extra88 10y ago
    Why? TVs aren't very portable, carrying content over a wire makes much more sense.
    - evan_ 10y ago
      It's easier for most consumers to just put their new TV where they want rather than knock a bunch of holes in the wall (or ask their landlord to do the work)
      - extra88 10y ago
        It's even easier to put their new TV where the wire is.
      - emodendroket 10y ago
        Right, and you accept a degraded experience for the portability. The speaker built into your phone isn't as good as stand-up speakers either.
    - dijit 10y ago
      I have a partner who hates wires. Wifi is a very normal thing for TV's, Games consoles, Chromecasts... etc;
      - wolfgke 10y ago
        The question rather is: What would you rather be willing to give up: Ethernet or your partner? :-) (a smart girl knows that it is a bad idea to urge nerds to make a choice between her and his PC).
        teddyh 10y ago
        Casual sexism is casual.
- SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
  I mean, isn't that true and why almost all of our electronics plug in?
  - woah 10y ago
    One difference is you don't see people going around on forums saying "batteries suck because you have to charge them"
    - SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
      Sure you do: look at forums on portable tools with both battery and cord versions. The charging time (and necessary backups for continuous use), weight, and low power provided all are cited as weaknesses of batteries. The only advantages batteries have is increased portability and ability to provide power without existing infrastructure. Which is why we see batteries primarily limited to highly portable devices and backup systems (because they can store power more stably than capacitors). Wifi sucks for anything that doesn't need to move or have issues preventing cabling (eg, infeasible to run a line through walls, but you can get signal). Batteries suck for anything that doesn't need to move a lot or an independent source of limited power.
      - emodendroket 10y ago
        A lot of people choose wireless even for stationary machines because you don't have to bother running the cable.
  - emodendroket 10y ago
    It's true, but it's so obvious, and obviously the entire point of the technology, that I wonder why anyone would bother remarking on it.
- XorNot 10y ago
  In a practical sense I use most wifi about 2m from an AP, and usually on a laptop which is already plugged in. Realistically hi power USB3 is what I should put as ports around my house and just deliver Ethernet that way.
  - bartvk 10y ago
    That is a very interesting idea. I've seen power sockets with USB-A ports. When we move to USB-C, that same port could actually identify itself as a dock, offering both power and Ethernet.
- VeejayRampay 10y ago
  The phrasing was not optimal on my part. What I meant was: Wifi has a huge advantage and that's portability. It totally makes sense in this fast-paced, moving, all-encompassing networked world, but wifi still lags behind ethernet for all other aspects : - Security - Stability - Bandwidth - Health (I am not sure if the science is settled on whether or not wifi may be detrimental to one's health, but it does raise more concerns than ethernet) But you're absolutely right that wifi does still bring an essential factor in the equation, the ability to move around.

Wow, it's better "in all aspects but mobility"? You're kidding. You may as well complain that batteries suck because the only advantage they have over just plugging something in is portability.

dijit 10y ago
I suppose the difference is that I don't expect my television to run on batteries, but I do expect it to work on wifi.
- extra88 10y ago
  Why? TVs aren't very portable, carrying content over a wire makes much more sense.
  - evan_ 10y ago
    It's easier for most consumers to just put their new TV where they want rather than knock a bunch of holes in the wall (or ask their landlord to do the work)
    - extra88 10y ago
      It's even easier to put their new TV where the wire is.
    - emodendroket 10y ago
      Right, and you accept a degraded experience for the portability. The speaker built into your phone isn't as good as stand-up speakers either.
  - dijit 10y ago
    I have a partner who hates wires. Wifi is a very normal thing for TV's, Games consoles, Chromecasts... etc;
    - wolfgke 10y ago
      The question rather is: What would you rather be willing to give up: Ethernet or your partner? :-) (a smart girl knows that it is a bad idea to urge nerds to make a choice between her and his PC).
      - teddyh 10y ago
        Casual sexism is casual.
SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
I mean, isn't that true and why almost all of our electronics plug in?
- woah 10y ago
  One difference is you don't see people going around on forums saying "batteries suck because you have to charge them"
  - SomeStupidPoint 10y ago
    Sure you do: look at forums on portable tools with both battery and cord versions. The charging time (and necessary backups for continuous use), weight, and low power provided all are cited as weaknesses of batteries. The only advantages batteries have is increased portability and ability to provide power without existing infrastructure. Which is why we see batteries primarily limited to highly portable devices and backup systems (because they can store power more stably than capacitors). Wifi sucks for anything that doesn't need to move or have issues preventing cabling (eg, infeasible to run a line through walls, but you can get signal). Batteries suck for anything that doesn't need to move a lot or an independent source of limited power.
    - emodendroket 10y ago
      A lot of people choose wireless even for stationary machines because you don't have to bother running the cable.
- emodendroket 10y ago
  It's true, but it's so obvious, and obviously the entire point of the technology, that I wonder why anyone would bother remarking on it.
XorNot 10y ago
In a practical sense I use most wifi about 2m from an AP, and usually on a laptop which is already plugged in. Realistically hi power USB3 is what I should put as ports around my house and just deliver Ethernet that way.
- bartvk 10y ago
  That is a very interesting idea. I've seen power sockets with USB-A ports. When we move to USB-C, that same port could actually identify itself as a dock, offering both power and Ethernet.
VeejayRampay 10y ago
The phrasing was not optimal on my part. What I meant was: Wifi has a huge advantage and that's portability. It totally makes sense in this fast-paced, moving, all-encompassing networked world, but wifi still lags behind ethernet for all other aspects : - Security - Stability - Bandwidth - Health (I am not sure if the science is settled on whether or not wifi may be detrimental to one's health, but it does raise more concerns than ethernet) But you're absolutely right that wifi does still bring an essential factor in the equation, the ability to move around.