Wired vs wireless: cost and installation

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which network usually needs lots of cables run through walls and ceilings?

A Wireless network

B Wired network

2. A school wants to avoid drilling holes and running cables in an old building. Which option suits this best?

A Wired network

B Wireless network

3. Which statement about cost is correct?

A Wired networks need extra costs for cables and switch ports

B Wired networks need no equipment other than the devices

4. Fibre optic cable can be expensive to install. Why?

A It needs special cable and trained people to fit it

B It can only be installed by wireless access points

5. A wireless network covers a very large area, like a school campus. What might be needed?

A More wireless access points to cover the whole area

B No extra equipment, as one signal always reaches everywhere

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1cost of cable		AWireless still costs money. It needs access points, and a large area may need several of them.
2access points for coverage		Bfibre installation cost > Ethernet cost
3Wired networks need cables, ports and installation work, so a large wired setup can cost more to install.		CThis describes wireless. A wired network needs cables and ports to connect each device.
4Fibre optic cable can carry data very fast, but it costs more to install than ordinary cable.		DA wired network needs a cable for every device, and long runs or many devices add to the price.
5wireless = no cost to install		EA wireless network may need extra access points so the signal reaches every part of a large area.
6wired = no cables, only access points		Fwired = cables + ports + installation

Definitions

cost and installation

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

cableCost = metres _ pricePerMetre

accessPoints = floorArea _ apCoverage

IF devices _ ports THEN addSwitch

total = fibreCost _ installCost

IF floorArea > 200 ____ moreAPs = TRUE

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A cables ← 10

B price_each ← 5

C total ← cables + price_each

D OUTPUT total

Question 2

A computers ← 8

B ports_needed ← 1

C switch_ports ← 8

D OUTPUT switch_ports >= ports_needed

Question 3

A copper_cost ← 100

B fibre_cost ← copper_cost / 3

C IF fibre_cost > copper_cost

D OUTPUT "Fibre costs more"

Question 4

A area ← 600

B ap_range ← 200

C aps_needed ← area * ap_range

D OUTPUT aps_needed

Question 5

A wired ← 20

B wireless ← 2

C IF wireless < wired

D OUTPUT "More cables"

Answer Key

Wired vs wireless: cost and installation

Section A: Quick Questions

B — Wired network

B — Wireless network

A — Wired networks need extra costs for cables and switch ports

A — It needs special cable and trained people to fit it

A — More wireless access points to cover the whole area

Section B: Match the Pairs

cost of cable → A wired network needs a cable for every device, and long runs or many devices add to the price.

access points for coverage → A wireless network may need extra access points so the signal reaches every part of a large area.

Wired networks need cables, ports and installation work, so a large wired setup can cost more to install. → wired = cables + ports + installation

Fibre optic cable can carry data very fast, but it costs more to install than ordinary cable. → fibre installation cost > Ethernet cost

wireless = no cost to install → Wireless still costs money. It needs access points, and a large area may need several of them.

wired = no cables, only access points → This describes wireless. A wired network needs cables and ports to connect each device.

Section C: Definitions

cost and installation — Wired networks need cables, ports and installation work, while wireless needs less cabling but may need more access points to cover a large area.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

cableCost = metres * pricePerMetre

accessPoints = floorArea / apCoverage

IF devices > ports THEN addSwitch

total = fibreCost + installCost

IF floorArea > 200 THEN moreAPs = TRUE

Section E: Spot the Error

C — The total cable cost is the number of cables multiplied by the price of each one, so the line should be total ← cables * price_each. Adding gives the wrong cost.

B — A wired network needs one switch port for every computer, so ports_needed should be set to computers, not 1.

B — Fibre cable and its installation cost more than copper, so the cost should be multiplied (copper_cost * 3). Dividing makes fibre look cheaper.

C — The number of access points is the area to cover divided by the area one access point covers. It should be area / ap_range, not multiplied.

D — The condition checks that wireless uses fewer cables than wired, so the output should say "Fewer cables". Wireless needs less cabling.