Wired and wireless networking. Which one is best and are they both secure? There is often confusion between the two and misinformed decisions can be made that have the potential to be costly. Let us explain the main differences between running wired and wireless networks.
Wired Networks
- Performance – Wired networks perform better than wireless networks. This is due to less interference than a wireless network would typically encounter. Having a wired network allow for a more stable network overall. We highly recommend installing a wired network for any critical machines such as servers and routers. This will avoid any service disruption that is typically caused with wireless networks.
- Security – Wired networks are more secure than wireless networks. This is due to the fact that your network is only accessible with a physical cable connection. With wireless networks, the Wi-Fi signal is broadcasted outside of the building, leaving it open to the public and potential hackers.
- Installation – This one depends on your situation. A lot of business premises and modern homes have built in network cables that run behind the walls and under the floor called structured cabling. If this is the case then the majority of the difficult work is complete and the rest should be straightforward to install.
Wireless Networks
- Performance – As a general rule of thumb, wireless networks perform worse than wired networks due to factors such as signal range, amount of connected devices, office furniture and building features such as lifts and pipework. However, Wi-Fi networks are improving in their capability with modern advancements such as 802.11ax. We are watching this space as the industry is moving towards a wireless connected workplace.
- Security – A wireless network is less secure than a wired network. Wireless networks must be secured correctly as accessing a wireless network can be done discreetly and does not require physical access to a building. Wireless networks can be secured to prevent malicious attacks with an advanced authentication process such as enterprise WPA2 with 802.1X.
- Installation – Wireless networks are mostly easy to install. They do not require a large amount of physical cabling to be installed and allow your computers and tablets to be moved around.
Roundup
We recommend using a wired network wherever possible. Devices such as smartphones and some laptops do not have the ability to be connected to your network with a cable. If this is the case, then an obvious wireless connection is the only possible solution. The benefits of having a wired network massively outweigh having a wireless network. Furthermore, it is indeed possible to have a mixed network that is converges both wired and wireless devices to fully maximise business productivity and performance.
Contact us today and let’s have a chat about how Aberdeen Cyber Security can help protect your business in the 21st century.