Desktops/ethernet? Laptops/WiFi??

hsehestedt · Dec 20, 2023

The advice that MisterEd provided is spot on. You want the router that provides ISP access to provide IP addresses to your PCs. This is because along with an IP address it provides other details that include the information needed to access the Internet.

You want ONLY that router to provide that information because otherwise it is like having two people shouting contradicting commands at you.

abactuon · Dec 20, 2023

hsehestedt said:
I was not aware of that. Is that a limitation imposed by those countries that they do not allow WiFi to use the 5GHz band?

I am all WiFi 6e here so I use 2.4GHz, 5Ghz, and 6Ghz bands. I'm now just waiting for the final certification of WiFi 7 so I can move to it

Yeah, but the Realtek works.
And Intel is installed on all the laptops.

Wynona · Dec 21, 2023

jro11 said:
I received the following message:

"desktop computers are not designed to work over wifi. Their capacities to do so are highly variable and often quite limited. They are designed to be connected via ethernet."

Is this true?

I don't think so, but what do I know. Well, what I do know is that if my desktop is connected via cable to my router, it's faster than if I leave it "unwired". No big deal, since the computer and router are within a couple feet of each other. Incidentally, if one is using a laptop, the same applies; wired to the router (ethernet) is faster than wifi (unwired). I think this is correct, but I may have switched wifi with ethernet. :ffs:

if I did!

Here's an explanation by Lifewire: Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: Which Do You Need?

Another is How-to Geek: Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: How Much Better Is a Wired Connection?

Both of these sites are safe and secure. Both will give you good information too.

Porthos · Dec 21, 2023

I have the modem from the ISP and a tp-link router. Each of the 4 ports is connected to each room I wanted ethernet in through the walls. In my computer workshop, I have a 4-port switch that I have connected to the jack in the wall and run 4 computers at a time when needed.

Simple setup with full speed and no issues. The only thing I use wireless is when I work on newer laptops with no ethernet jack and my Amazon devices.

Wynona · Dec 21, 2023

Porthos said:
I have the modem from the ISP and a tp-link router. Each of the 4 ports is connected to each room I wanted ethernet in through the walls. In my computer workshop, I have a 4-port switch that I have connected to the jack in the wall and run 4 computers at a time when needed.

Simple setup with full speed and no issues. The only thing I use wireless is when I work on newer laptops with no ethernet jack and my Amazon devices.

Yeah, I like the desktop hard wired to my router (just got fiber here, and enjoying it). The rest of my computers are on wifi, and I live with it. It's not so bad if I don't dwell on it. Besides I don't use the others all that much.

TraderGary · Dec 21, 2023

I have a NetGear Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh system with 2 satellites. We use only WiFi with our laptop computers. Our ISP is Comcast/XFinity. The input speed to my router is 940 Mbps. I test speed using Ookla Speed Test. Download speed throughout the house measures from a low of about 600 Mbps to a high of about 900 Mbps. I'm working most of the time within 10 to 15 feet from an Orbi satellite and usually get more than 800 Mbps.

jro11 · Dec 21, 2023

MisterEd said:
It is OK to have have more then one router but only one should actually be acting like a router. I assume your main router is ISP-Router. Any other routers you have should have their routing functions disabled. Doing this makes them act like an ordinary switch. Set it up this way the ISP-Router assigns IP addresses to all the devices on your network.

How do I disable the router functions of the NetGear router?
Another reason I want the NetGear router in series with the ISP Router is so that I can change the password to the NetGear router when I need to. (I need to contact my ISP to change its password and the ISP doesn't want me to do that too often.) Can that be done wih the router function disabled?

hsehestedt said:
The advice that MisterEd provided is spot on. You want the router that provides ISP access to provide IP addresses to your PCs. This is because along with an IP address it provides other details that include the information needed to access the Internet.

Are you addressing the question I asked about all the networks saying "no Internet access"? What other information do I need to access the Internet when, despite saying "no Internet access" all of the networks actually DO access the Internet?

hsehestedt said:
You want ONLY that router to provide that information because otherwise it is like having two people shouting contradicting commands at you.

How does the analogy of "two people shouting contradicting commands at you" relate to unwanted network performance? (Does it slow anything up? Does it result in errors? etc?)

MisterEd · Dec 21, 2023

There all two types of Internet addresses:

Public
Local

Your ISP assigns one public Internet address to you. To have more then more computer connected at one time with Ethernet you plug in a router. The router shares your public Internet access by assigning local internet addresses to your computers. I am sure there is some limit but I have no problem using up to 6 computers connected using Ethernet. The router usually also has Wi-Fi capability so it can assign local Internet addresses to your wireless devices.

Some people don't like the router supplied by their ISP so use their own instead. To do that they first disable the router function for the ISP router. When they plug in their router it takes over the job of supplying local Internet addresses for all their computers.

BTW, to disable the routing function of the ISP's router you have to make sure it supports something called Bridge Mode. If you don't know if this is possible you will have to ask your ISP. For example, here is the setting for Bridge Mode in the configuration of the Gateway (modem/router) from my ISP:

jro11 · Dec 21, 2023

MisterEd said:
BTW, to disable the routing function of the ISP's router you have to make sure it supports something called Bridge Mode. If you don't know if this is possible you will have to ask your ISP.

My ISP will not give me information related to their Qualcom router. My ISP might give me information relating to my Netgear router but they would charge $100/hr for doing so. I’m sure my ISP would not allow me to use my router instead of theirs since the information they get from their router is essential to the way they understand and manage their WiFi network.
I have a NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS305). When you say I should disable the router do you mean that what I want to end up with is my NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS305)?

Wynona said:
Here's an explanation by Lifewire: Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: Which Do You Need?

Another is How-to Geek: Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: How Much Better Is a Wired Connection?

p.s. Wynona, thanks for those two links: Like you, I trust both HowToGeek and Lifewire. And a kudo (and Like) to you for spelling How-to Geek correctly (this from a former technical editor). Do you know of anywhere where the different types of Unmanaged Ethernet Switches are compared AND (features) explained?
p.p.s. BTW I called Netgear and they told me that they do not have anything of the sort. (no comparisons, no explanations). OUT this would cause me to deep-6 the company completely.

rasmasyean · Dec 21, 2023

jro11 said:
I received the following message:

"desktop computers are not designed to work over wifi. Their capacities to do so are highly variable and often quite limited. They are designed to be connected via ethernet."

Is this true?

What they prolly meant to say was something like:

"Desktops are static so you'd best wire them. Therefore, they won't suffer interference and shared bandwidth issues when lots of WiFi are simultaneously working nearby."

When you are in a congested area (like metro), WiFi actually kinda sucks because it's really unpredictable what kind of signal you are getting and how many people are streaming. WiFi Routers have always boasted "tech" which frequency hops/split bands, whatever, but in practice it doesn't work nearly as well as a wired connection...and sometimes, not really at all from a practical standpoint. There's a reason why people make DIY aluminum foil parabolic reflectors and such.

As always, ymmv.