Wired vs wireless: speed

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which connection is usually faster and steadier?

A A wireless connection using Wi-Fi

B A wired connection using a cable

2. Why can a wired connection stay steady?

A The signal travels in a dedicated cable

B The signal is shared through the air with other devices

3. You walk to the far end of the house while on Wi-Fi. What usually happens to your speed?

A It stays exactly the same at any distance

B It drops as you get further from the router

4. Which cable type can carry data at very high speeds using light?

A Fibre optic cable

B Bluetooth

5. Many people in a flat use Wi-Fi at the same time. What is likely to happen?

A Shared airwaves can slow everyone down

B Each device gets its own private cable

Match the Pairs

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

Left column		Right column
1wired speed		Awifi: 1m=300 Mbps, 20m=40 Mbps
2shared airwaves		BWi-Fi devices in the same area share the same radio waves, so more devices means less speed for each one.
3Ethernet and fibre cables carry data fast because each cable gives the signal its own path.		CWired connections are usually faster and steadier than wireless, because the signal travels in its own cable and is not shared through the air.
4Wi-Fi speed drops as you move further from the router.		DWired connections are usually faster and steadier. Wi-Fi has no wires, but its signal is shared through the air and can weaken.
5Wi-Fi is always faster than a cable because it has no wires.		Ewired: 1000 Mbps steady
6Wi-Fi speed stays the same however far you are from the router.		FWi-Fi speed drops as the distance from the router grows, because the signal gets weaker.

Definitions

wired speed

Fill in the Blanks

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

IF connection = "wired" ____ speed ← "fast and steady" ENDIF

distance ← 25 IF distance _ 20 THEN speed ← "lower"

totalSpeed ← 100 devices ← 4 speedEach ← totalSpeed / _______

IF fibreSpeed > ethernetSpeed THEN best ← "fibre" _____

wifiShared ← TRUE IF __________ THEN OUTPUT "Speed may drop"

Spot the Error

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

Question 1

A cable ← "Ethernet"

B speed ← 1000

C steady ← FALSE

Question 2

A IF connection = "wired" THEN

B speed ← "slow and shaky"

C ELSE

D speed ← "can drop"

E ENDIF

Question 3

A PRINT "Fibre is very slow"

B PRINT "Light travels in glass"

C PRINT "Cable is not shared air"

Question 4

A distance ← 20

B IF distance < 15 THEN

C wifiSpeed ← "lower"

D ENDIF

Question 5

A devices ← 10

B IF devices > 8 THEN

C airwaves ← "private"

D wifiSpeed ← "slower"

E ENDIF

Answer Key

Wired vs wireless: speed

Section A: Quick Questions

B — A wired connection using a cable

A — The signal travels in a dedicated cable

B — It drops as you get further from the router

A — Fibre optic cable

A — Shared airwaves can slow everyone down

Section B: Match the Pairs

wired speed → Wired connections are usually faster and steadier than wireless, because the signal travels in its own cable and is not shared through the air.

shared airwaves → Wi-Fi devices in the same area share the same radio waves, so more devices means less speed for each one.

Ethernet and fibre cables carry data fast because each cable gives the signal its own path. → wired: 1000 Mbps steady

Wi-Fi speed drops as you move further from the router. → wifi: 1m=300 Mbps, 20m=40 Mbps

Wi-Fi is always faster than a cable because it has no wires. → Wired connections are usually faster and steadier. Wi-Fi has no wires, but its signal is shared through the air and can weaken.

Wi-Fi speed stays the same however far you are from the router. → Wi-Fi speed drops as the distance from the router grows, because the signal gets weaker.

Section C: Definitions

wired speed — Wired connections are usually faster and steadier than wireless, because the signal travels in its own cable and is not shared through the air.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

IF connection = "wired" THEN
  speed ← "fast and steady"
ENDIF

distance ← 25
IF distance > 20 THEN speed ← "lower"

totalSpeed ← 100
devices ← 4
speedEach ← totalSpeed / devices

IF fibreSpeed > ethernetSpeed THEN
  best ← "fibre"
ENDIF

wifiShared ← TRUE
IF wifiShared THEN OUTPUT "Speed may drop"

Section E: Spot the Error

C — Wired connections such as Ethernet are usually steady because the signal has its own cable. It should be steady ← TRUE.

B — Wired connections are usually fast and steady, not slow and shaky. It should be speed ← "fast and steady".

A — Fibre optic cable is one of the fastest ways to carry data. It should say Fibre is very fast.

B — Wi-Fi speed drops when the device is far from the router. The test should be distance > 15, so a distance of 20 triggers it.

C — Wi-Fi devices share the same airwaves, so many devices make them crowded. It should be airwaves ← "crowded".