Ethernet faster than wifi?

Ethernet standards come in 10Mps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps, and 10Gbps. When you connect something like a PC to a switch or router, and their standards don't match, you get the lower of the two speeds. A decent ethernet cable is good for around 100 meters. 

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@karlchilds wrote:

I just connected my computer through ethernet cable, but it is much slower than my wifi signal. Through wireless, I am getting between 250 and 320 Mbps download speeds, but with the ethernet, less than 100.

 

Of course, my ethernet connection is long...probably 50 feet or more. Could that make a difference? 

 

I just though ethernet should be faser than wireless...

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Does that computer's NIC support a 10/ 100/1000 ethernet connection ?

good questions, great answers.   100G ethernet is on the way, closing on 1Terabit ethernet too maybe.   We get more throughput but nothing truly gets faster in terms of actual speed.      It's fun to compare with original 10M thickwire ethernet, over which the signals propagated at same speed as todays signals over coax/copper and faster than over today's fiber.     In miles per hour.   Speed = distance/time.    Throughput rate = bytes/time.    Data speed over copper is always 0.73 times speed of light in a vacuum.    Data speed over fiber is always slower:  0.70 times speed of light in a vaccum.     That's it for today's edition of Counterintuitive Tech Trivia, best regards to all.   

Thanks. The router supoprts 1000GB, not sure of my Mac. I just put a tracker on it, and it looks like two of the wires might be swapped (both the emitter and receiver have 8 lights numbered 1-8, and the 5 doesn't light up, and the 4 lights up on the 5th signal, so my guess is those might be swapped). I'm going to reconnect one end and see what happens!

Thanks for the help.

Glad that you got it figured out ! Happy surfing !