Ethernet vs Wi‑Fi for business
When to cable desks, meeting rooms, and servers — and when modern Wi‑Fi is good enough for daily work.
Ethernet wins on stability
Cat6 cable to desks gives predictable latency, full duplex speed, and no roaming issues. Desktops, POS terminals, printers, NAS, and meeting-room AV should be wired where possible.
Wi‑Fi wins on flexibility
Laptops, phones, and hot-desking need wireless. Good access point design — multiple APs, proper placement, enterprise gear — beats one powerful consumer router in the cupboard.
Hybrid is normal
Most Melbourne offices run wired cores with Wi‑Fi for mobility. Budget for cabling during fit-outs; retrofits cost more. Use at least 1 Gbps switches; 2.5G or 10G only where you move large creative files daily.
Security angle
Wired ports on guest VLANs still need control — MAC filtering is weak. 802.1X on staff Wi‑Fi ties network access to identity. Document which ports in the comms cabinet belong to which VLAN.
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