Wired vs Wireless Connections

This lesson compares wired and wireless network connections, covering Ethernet, WiFi, and Bluetooth. This is part of OCR J277 Section 1.3.1.

---

Wired Connections

A wired connection uses physical cables to connect devices to a network. The most common type is Ethernet.

Ethernet

Feature	Detail
Cable type	Typically Cat5e or Cat6 twisted pair copper cables; fibre optic for high-speed/long-distance
Connector	RJ-45 connector
Speed	100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet), 1 Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet), 10 Gbps (10 Gigabit Ethernet)
Range	Up to 100 metres for copper cables; much further for fibre optic
Reliability	Very high — not affected by interference from other devices or walls
Security	High — physical access to the cable is required to intercept data

Fibre Optic Cables

Feature	Detail
How it works	Transmits data as pulses of light through thin glass or plastic fibres
Speed	Very high — up to 100 Gbps or more
Range	Very long — suitable for undersea cables and backbone networks
Interference	Not affected by electromagnetic interference
Cost	More expensive than copper cables
Use	Internet backbone, ISP connections, data centres

---

Wireless Connections

A wireless connection uses radio waves or infrared signals to transmit data without physical cables.

WiFi (IEEE 802.11)

Feature	Detail
How it works	Devices communicate with a WAP (Wireless Access Point) using radio waves
Standards	802.11n (WiFi 4), 802.11ac (WiFi 5), 802.11ax (WiFi 6)
Speed	Varies by standard — WiFi 6 can reach ~9.6 Gbps (theoretical maximum)
Range	Typically 30-50 metres indoors; affected by walls and obstacles
Security	Must use encryption (WPA2 or WPA3) to prevent interception
Use	Laptops, smartphones, tablets, IoT devices

Bluetooth

Feature	Detail
How it works	Short-range wireless communication using radio waves
Speed	Lower than WiFi — up to 3 Mbps (Bluetooth 4.0) or 50 Mbps (Bluetooth 5.0)
Range	Short — typically 10-100 metres
Power	Very low power consumption
Use	Wireless headphones, keyboards, mice, smartwatches, file transfer between nearby devices

---

Comparing Wired and Wireless