At Harding, we have both wired and wireless networking options in most spaces. While wireless networking is more convenient, there are some limitations to consider.
Wireless networking is limited by interference, load and placement issues. An example of this is in the Benson Auditorium. Previously, there was a common misconception that we turned off the wireless during chapel; this was not the case. Instead, the number of devices trying to connect to the infrastructure made it completely unusable during peak occupancy times. As a note here, we have invested in new equipment in the Benson to help make connectivity better in that space. At one time, we maxed out at 300-500 connected devices, but we now see as many as 3,000 devices connected during chapel time.
Wireless, due to its design, only gives 35-40% sustained throughput. A wired connection will give about 95%. As time goes on and improvements are made to the wireless technology, that percentage will increase.
IS&T recommends using wired connections for highly interactive communications such as video conferencing, or fast-paced video games. Applications such as streaming media content or Google Workspace are able to buffer as needed to help with playback and performance, hence will likely work acceptably on wireless.
A few things to remember: We use devices instead of users when we talk about load on access points. We see an average of 6.4 devices per student in the dorms, and we estimate 2.5 - 3 devices per person in other locations. This includes computers, tablets, phones, watches and all the other connected devices (light bulbs, beds, picture frames, etc.) that are prevalent these days.
~ John Exum