4 ms·

As much as people hate wires, I have to say that I much appreciate the "just works" aspect of it. Even wifi, while it has improved an awful lot over the years,

As much as people hate wires, I have to say that I much appreciate the "just works" aspect of it. Even wifi, while it has improved an awful lot over the years, is not nearly as reliable as the (albeit annoying) ethernet cable. I have the same issue with wireless keyboards and mice. The idea that I have to charge or put batteries into my mouse is infuriating.

okl 5y ago
Also (generally) better sound quality (mic) and no latency/artifacting issues. Much cheaper as well.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
mojuba 5y ago
I usually keep my Magic Trackpad connected to USB because I know it switches to wired operation with no latency and 100% reliability. Also an option.
falcolas 5y ago
> not nearly as reliable as the (albeit annoying) ethernet cable. I keep one plugged into an inexpensive USB-C "dock" at my desk, and it's wonderful. That and wired headphones mean I always sound decent, don't break up when the microwave's in use, and never have to play the "can you hear me now" game.
- ashtonkem 5y ago
  Opposite for me. The wifi in my office beats out my USB C adapter by a factor of 4. Wifi is great, consumer grade routers are not though.
  - falcolas 5y ago
    Beats... how? Bandwidth? Packet loss? Latency? One, that wifi bandwidth is being shared by everyone around you. Ideally, you'll only have about 4 peers for your given hotspot, but most companies are a bit more... frugal... than that. Two, that WiFi is going through those same routers. Just sayin'.
    - ashtonkem 5y ago
      Bandwidth is typically what I’ve measured. Never had a noticeable issue with packet loss. Or latency. Edit: the difference between my work laptop (wireless) and my gaming machine (wired) in my office is a mere 5ms to the same external server. That’s in the “meh” territory for me. Currently I have five APs inside and outside my house, and they’re averaging about 5-6 clients per AP. The really network intensive stuff is connected via Ethernet to avoid crowding out the airwaves. In my case that means the Apple TV and my gaming rig, both of which are conveniently non mobile and close to wall plates. The issue for my work laptop is that the cheaper USB C hubs only pull 100mbps. So I can get 100mbps wired, 450mbps wireless, or the full 950 by replacing my hub. On the balance the wireless is more convenient, especially with a sit/stand desk like mine making more wires more annoying. If I replace the hub I’ll reconsider, but 450 is plenty for my needs.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - falcolas 5y ago
        Fair enough. With as important as live calls have been for work, it was worth it to get a wired adapter to avoid the occasional latency spikes and to limit the packet round trip time. It is legitimately noticeable to me when I'm on wifi and not wired (I keep both active for simplicity's sake). Anker offers a nice one that was only about $40, and provides both gigabit ethernet (1000baseT (or an incredible fake thereof)) and some USB-A connections as well.
toxik 5y ago
Don't mind me over here with a Ethernet dongle that randomly disconnects intermittently.
- dont__panic 5y ago
  > dongle There's your problem. Dongles = cheap hardware to patch missing pieces of your expensive hardware. It's hard to find good ones even if you want to. One of the big reasons so many of us hated the TouchBar era of Macbooks was the reliance on dongles, which inevitably flake out at the worst times possible and cause weird bugs when you're trying to concentrate.
- deltarholamda 5y ago
  Heh, yeah, I had a Thinkpad with one of those PCMCIA cards that had the pop-out RJ-45 jack. It was great, but it was persnickety and would go "pfffbbblt" on the regular. The best Ethernet dongle ever was the AAUI ones you used to have to use on old Macs.

okl 5y ago

Also (generally) better sound quality (mic) and no latency/artifacting issues. Much cheaper as well.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

mojuba 5y ago

I usually keep my Magic Trackpad connected to USB because I know it switches to wired operation with no latency and 100% reliability. Also an option.

falcolas 5y ago

> not nearly as reliable as the (albeit annoying) ethernet cable. I keep one plugged into an inexpensive USB-C "dock" at my desk, and it's wonderful. That and wired headphones mean I always sound decent, don't break up when the microwave's in use, and never have to play the "can you hear me now" game.

ashtonkem 5y ago
Opposite for me. The wifi in my office beats out my USB C adapter by a factor of 4. Wifi is great, consumer grade routers are not though.
- falcolas 5y ago
  Beats... how? Bandwidth? Packet loss? Latency? One, that wifi bandwidth is being shared by everyone around you. Ideally, you'll only have about 4 peers for your given hotspot, but most companies are a bit more... frugal... than that. Two, that WiFi is going through those same routers. Just sayin'.
  - ashtonkem 5y ago
    Bandwidth is typically what I’ve measured. Never had a noticeable issue with packet loss. Or latency. Edit: the difference between my work laptop (wireless) and my gaming machine (wired) in my office is a mere 5ms to the same external server. That’s in the “meh” territory for me. Currently I have five APs inside and outside my house, and they’re averaging about 5-6 clients per AP. The really network intensive stuff is connected via Ethernet to avoid crowding out the airwaves. In my case that means the Apple TV and my gaming rig, both of which are conveniently non mobile and close to wall plates. The issue for my work laptop is that the cheaper USB C hubs only pull 100mbps. So I can get 100mbps wired, 450mbps wireless, or the full 950 by replacing my hub. On the balance the wireless is more convenient, especially with a sit/stand desk like mine making more wires more annoying. If I replace the hub I’ll reconsider, but 450 is plenty for my needs.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - falcolas 5y ago
      Fair enough. With as important as live calls have been for work, it was worth it to get a wired adapter to avoid the occasional latency spikes and to limit the packet round trip time. It is legitimately noticeable to me when I'm on wifi and not wired (I keep both active for simplicity's sake). Anker offers a nice one that was only about $40, and provides both gigabit ethernet (1000baseT (or an incredible fake thereof)) and some USB-A connections as well.

toxik 5y ago

Don't mind me over here with a Ethernet dongle that randomly disconnects intermittently.

dont__panic 5y ago
> dongle There's your problem. Dongles = cheap hardware to patch missing pieces of your expensive hardware. It's hard to find good ones even if you want to. One of the big reasons so many of us hated the TouchBar era of Macbooks was the reliance on dongles, which inevitably flake out at the worst times possible and cause weird bugs when you're trying to concentrate.
deltarholamda 5y ago
Heh, yeah, I had a Thinkpad with one of those PCMCIA cards that had the pop-out RJ-45 jack. It was great, but it was persnickety and would go "pfffbbblt" on the regular. The best Ethernet dongle ever was the AAUI ones you used to have to use on old Macs.