Wired vs wireless: reliability

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which type of connection is usually more reliable?

A Wired, because it is less affected by interference

B Wireless, because signals never drop out

2. A student's video call freezes when someone uses the microwave nearby. What is the most likely cause?

A The cable has run out of data

B Interference with the wireless signal

3. Which statement about dropped connections is true?

A Wireless signals can drop out more often than wired ones

B Wired connections drop out more often than wireless ones

4. Which is a reliability risk for a wired connection?

A A damaged or cut cable

B A neighbour's phone nearby

5. Why can a thick wall cause a wireless connection to drop out?

A It makes the wireless signal travel faster

B It can block or weaken the wireless signal

Match the Pairs

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

Left column		Right column
1reliability		AWireless is usually less reliable, not more. Having no cable does not make it steadier. Its signal travels through the air, so walls, other devices and distance can cause interference and dropouts.
2dropped connection		BWired networks can still fail. A cable that is bent, cut, crushed or unplugged can break the connection, so cable damage is a wired risk. They are just usually more reliable.
3Wired connections are usually more reliable because interference affects them less		Cif interference == true: wireless = "drops out"
4Wireless signals can drop out when interference gets in the way		Dwired.reliability = "high"
5Wireless is always more reliable than wired because it has no cables.		EA wireless link that suddenly cuts out, often because of weak signal or interference
6A wired network can never lose connection.		FHow steadily a connection stays working without dropping out or slowing down

Definitions

reliability

Fill in the Blanks

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

IF interference = "high" ____ connection ← "dropped" END IF

IF cable = "damaged" THEN connection _ "lost" END IF

IF signal _ 20 THEN status ← "dropped" END IF

IF type = "wireless" THEN risk ← "interference" ____ risk ← "cable damage"

IF signal = "lost" __ cable = "cut" THEN alert ← "no connection" END IF

Spot the Error

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

Question 1

A connection ← "wired"

B IF connection = "wired" THEN

C interference ← "low"

D reliability ← "low"

E ENDIF

Question 2

A connection ← "wireless"

B IF connection = "wireless" THEN

C risk ← "cable can break"

D ENDIF

Question 3

A connection ← "wired"

B cableDamaged ← true

C IF NOT cableDamaged THEN

D status ← "disconnected"

E ENDIF

Question 4

A interference ← 8

B IF interference < 5 THEN

C wifi ← "may drop out"

D ENDIF

Question 5

A mostReliable ← "wireless"

B reason ← "less interference"

C OUTPUT mostReliable, reason

Answer Key

Wired vs wireless: reliability

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Wired, because it is less affected by interference

B — Interference with the wireless signal

A — Wireless signals can drop out more often than wired ones

A — A damaged or cut cable

B — It can block or weaken the wireless signal

Section B: Match the Pairs

reliability → How steadily a connection stays working without dropping out or slowing down

dropped connection → A wireless link that suddenly cuts out, often because of weak signal or interference

Wired connections are usually more reliable because interference affects them less → wired.reliability = "high"

Wireless signals can drop out when interference gets in the way → if interference == true: wireless = "drops out"

Wireless is always more reliable than wired because it has no cables. → Wireless is usually less reliable, not more. Having no cable does not make it steadier. Its signal travels through the air, so walls, other devices and distance can cause interference and dropouts.

A wired network can never lose connection. → Wired networks can still fail. A cable that is bent, cut, crushed or unplugged can break the connection, so cable damage is a wired risk. They are just usually more reliable.

Section C: Definitions

reliability — How steadily a connection stays working. Wired is usually more reliable as interference affects it less, while wireless signals can drop out.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

IF interference = "high" THEN
  connection ← "dropped"
END IF

IF cable = "damaged" THEN
  connection ← "lost"
END IF

IF signal < 20 THEN
  status ← "dropped"
END IF

IF type = "wireless" THEN
  risk ← "interference"
ELSE risk ← "cable damage"

IF signal = "lost" OR cable = "cut" THEN
  alert ← "no connection"
END IF

Section E: Spot the Error

D — Wired connections are less affected by interference, so they are usually more reliable. The line should set reliability to "high".

C — A wireless connection has no cable, so the main risk is that the signal can drop out. The line should be risk ← "signal can drop out".

C — Damage to a cable is a risk for wired networks. The connection is lost when the cable IS damaged, so the condition should be IF cableDamaged THEN.

B — Wi-Fi drops out when interference is high. With a value of 8, the test should be interference > 5, not < 5.

A — Wired connections are usually more reliable because interference affects them less. Wireless signals are the ones that can drop out, so the value should be "wired".