It makes sense, even at home.
Normally, I'm a huge proponent of wireless networking, and that's not going to change as Wi-Fi 7 routers become more commonplace. But even though convenient, there’s no denying there are times you really should build a wired LAN. Some devices work much better when they have a dedicated line to the router, and you wouldn't want to share a bandwidth-heavy home media server over a wireless connection all the time. As with most computing decisions, this one hinges on what you're going to be doing on your home network, but a wired LAN is a better fit for many situations.
Wired LANs are more stable and faster overall.
If you absolutely need the best performance out of your home network, the only way to go is wired. Wireless just can't match the levels of reliability and speed that a wired gigabit LAN can achieve, and that's without thinking about upgrading hardware so you can take advantage of faster wired speeds like 2.5GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, and above. A wired LAN is going to match the speeds your ISP feeds to your home (in most cases), and if you're lucky enough to live in an area that has faster than Gigabit internet connections, it's easy to plan out a faster wired LAN to take advantage of it. By wiring every network device that can support Ethernet, you limit the effect of interference from other devices or signals, giving you a stable connection at all times. That's not something you can say about even the best Wi-Fi networks, which are prone to glitching when the microwave is used. Wired networks are also consistently fast over longer distances, whereas wireless ones experience a drop in speed the further from the router you are. That can be mitigated somewhat by using a mesh network or putting in more wireless APs, but it still can't quite beat wired.
With Gigabit+ connections being more common, a wired LAN is key.
We're big advocates for matching your hardware and your services so that everything works harmoniously. That's why if you have fast broadband, it's often better to use wired connections for your network. Even with advances in wireless connectivity, the only way to ensure that your home network is as fast as the internet your ISP provides is to wire things up. It's not just better for streaming 4K video from Netflix and other streaming providers; it's also better for gaming, latency, and reduced congestion on your network. That gets more important as you add more devices to your home network, and wireless networks just can't compete. If your internet service is Gigabit or even faster, you're not going to be able to take advantage of the tier you're paying for if your network isn't wired, and preferably with faster-than-gigabit equipment.
When latency matters, you want to be wired in.
While using a wireless connection for gaming is perfectly fine for some games, you might need more than "fine." Maybe you're gaming on a console, which tends to have slower Wi-Fi versions, so the gigabit Ethernet port is much faster to use. Competitive gamers are also going to want to wire their gaming PCs to the router so that they have a dedicated line on the network that is less likely to be affected by the rest of the LAN traffic. Fans of MMOs are also going to want a wired connection, as Wi-Fi can be finicky, and you don't want to drop frames or your connection during the end stages of a particularly long raiding session.
Video loves bandwidth.
Wireless cameras can be a simple way to monitor activity at your home or small business for DIYers, but video tends to use a lot of bandwidth. Because of this, Wi-Fi cameras tend to have a less reliable network connection, and can be glitchy or laggy, especially with cameras located farther away from the Wi-Fi source. Things like electrical cabling, appliances, metal siding and other wireless signals can also affect connectivity. Using a wired connection for cameras provides the most reliable and secure connection, plus the greatest bandwidth. Typically, a wired connection is a must for high resolution cameras such as 4K. Since you’re running a wire anyway, why not add a Power over Ethernet (POE) switch and power your cameras over the same wire. This eliminates the need to plug the camera into a nearby outlet for power and makes the installation much cleaner.
Working with big files over wireless networks is not fun.
Anyone who regularly works with large files or folders over a network knows that trying to do so over Wi-Fi is just painful. Whether it's ingesting video footage from a central server to edit in pro-level tools, working with Git, or other similar tasks, the improved stability, latency, and speed of wired LANs reign supreme. Creative professionals have an acute sense of how much money their time is worth and shouldn't settle for subpar networking performance. That’s even more important as professionals are working from speedy SSD storage these days, which can support transfer speeds several times what gigabit Ethernet can. Reducing file transfer times helps professionals get on with their work without waiting around for things to complete. The faster, the better, and that's only possible with multi-gig Ethernet or fiber runs.
Reduce competition for wi-fi bandwidth.
It's hard to avoid using wireless networking these days, with laptops built to use Wi-Fi first and mobile devices being everywhere. While Wi-Fi can be less stable than a wired LAN, you can help the wireless signal out by wiring up as many devices as you can. That way, your Wi-Fi isn't full of devices chattering among themselves, taking bandwidth away from the devices you might want to use. You're still sending the bulk of your network traffic over a wired LAN, but now your wireless devices have enough space to themselves. It's almost impossible to build a home network that's fully wired, with how prevalent mobile devices are, but you can still ensure that your network is as solid as possible by wiring your LAN to every device you can.
