I live alone in a large open-plan room containing my TV, four media players, a surround receiver, two Xbox consoles, two PCs, three printers, phones, and a tablet. Most of the stationary equipment is currently wired, but the cable clutter has become difficult to live with, and my 16-port gigabit switch is nearly full.
I could move the TV, media players, Raspberry Pi 4, Xbox 360, and possibly the Xbox One to Wi‑Fi. I'm also wondering whether my two PCs should stay wired. My 5 GHz Wi‑Fi devices report link speeds between roughly 466 and 833 Mbps, although I haven't measured their real throughput. My internet connection is only about 80 Mbps, and there are only a few nearby networks.
I occasionally transfer 4K MKV files or disc images between my media devices, so local network performance matters more than internet speed. Is around 400 Mbps of real-world Wi‑Fi throughput enough for that, and what would you keep wired in this situation?
4 Answers
A well-performing 5 GHz connection should handle most 4K video files and normal streaming without trouble. The important number is the file’s bitrate, not the Wi‑Fi link speed shown by the device. A 400 Mbps real transfer rate is plenty for typical 4K media, though large transfers will still be faster and more dependable over Ethernet.
I’d probably keep the PCs wired, especially if they’re used for online gaming, large file transfers, backups, or anything where random lag spikes would be annoying. The average latency difference may be small, but Ethernet is more predictable and avoids wireless interference. The less demanding entertainment devices can easily move to Wi‑Fi.
If your Wi‑Fi is reliable and you don’t need maximum local transfer speed or extremely consistent latency, there’s no reason everything has to remain wired. TVs, older consoles, streaming boxes, and printers are good candidates for Wi‑Fi. Test the actual throughput from the devices themselves rather than relying on the advertised link rate, since Wi‑Fi speeds fluctuate with signal strength, interference, and other traffic.
You don’t have to choose one approach for everything. Use Wi‑Fi where removing cables makes a noticeable difference, and improve cable management for the few devices that benefit from Ethernet. Hiding cables behind desks, using shorter patch leads, and relocating the switch can make a wired setup much less visually overwhelming.
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