Complicated question does Emby Server itself better with Ethernet?

[ng4ever 39]

Over say wireless (Wifi 6 or more)

The actual content would still be on Ethernet. If that makes a difference.

 

 

 

 

[Luke 37071]

Hi, I think this is all YMMV depending on your setup.

[JackBowman 18]

I can tell you that I use a TP-Link Mesh system with WIFI 6 and it works well. I use the 6GHz as a dedicated backhaul and have the Emby server tied in with a 1G ethernet. So in effect it uses WIFI to the TV in another room. I have three mesh routers total throughout the house and shop and they all connect up with each other at 2.4G. 

Jack

[Gilgamesh_48 943]

Without exception servers are better served wired. 
While there can be some setups that are very reliable with the server connected wireless mostly wireless usually has too many glitches for reliable server operation. Clients work OK wireless but every wireless connection has built in instabilities that make servers less that reliable.

As was said YMMV but it is better planning to design a system where the server is wired.

[Ronstang 202]

3 hours ago, Gilgamesh_48 said:

Without exception servers are better served wired. 

I agree.  I hate Wi-Fi except in limited usage.  Mesh systems are great for increasing range but they do not increase bandwidth.  There are fancy routers these days with high bandwidth but they are expensive and doing 1Gb internet with nothing but wireless and mesh will be very expensive and you will be replacing the routers at certain intervals as they just don't last forever.  

Running the wires in the house may seem like a pain but it's a one time endeavor if you use good wire and Cat 6 or higher rated wire.  I have 8 TVs and all but one are wired.  Each room that has TVs (pretty much all except the kitchen nook and dining room) has at least 3 separate Cat 6 outlets for futureproofing. I went to great lengths to run the wire too since several of my downstairs rooms don't have walls that line up with those upstairs.  For this office I had to pull up the carpet in a closet and cut a hole in the floor to jog over 17 inches from one wall to another.  But it was worth it as now both my emby server machines are wired and file transfers are reliable and fast between them.

I also run enterprise grade equipment that I actually got free from an IT buddy.  It is a 24 port switch that came out of the Saudi Aramco office in Houston.  It was old when I got it and it has run flawlessly for 4 years.  My wireless routers usually last 2-5 years before they die....although the ASUS one I bought with this house lasted 8.  It still died.  I will eventually replace the switch because it is only a 10/100 unit but it is more than fast enough for my content since it is all HEVC.  A new switch is about $100 with a lifetime warranty, a decent Wi-Fi 6 router will be 4X or more that price and you will need multiple for a mesh system and they WILL die at some point.  Not only that, most TVs are not Wi-Fi 6 so you will have to use something like a new FIrestick or comparable equipment to add it which adds extra costs and steps to get to your content. 

I will never go back to wireless, which is all I had for several years until I undertook the wiring project. It is worth the effort.  For a small investment in tools from Amazon  you can not only run your own wire but put the connectors on also saving a bunch of money from hiring a contractor.  

I have 4 children so the added plus is when they are being punished I can simply unplug the devices in their rooms. 

The only reason the wife's new TV in the kitchen proper is wireless is because it is a very difficult room to get the Cat 6 into but when I do the remodel and add the surround system to the den I will run an ethernet cable to it also.

Wi-Fi is easy but decent setups these days are very expensive and then you also have the security issue and if you plan to run security cameras (a necessity in most areas since governments have forgotten why they exist) you should never run wireless and battery operated ones....but that is a whole other discussion. 

Take the plunge, wire your house and enjoy.  You won't be sorry.

Edited March 26 by Ronstang

[pwhodges 1531]

Wired ethernet does what it says on the tin; wifi can be flaky - distance, obstruction, and interference can all play a part in degrading the signal.

That said, a perfect wi-fi may be faster than a typical wired ethernet, and this is even more apparent with some devices in the TV and streaming stick sphere which have only 100Mbps ethernet ports, even today - with such devices it can even turn out that the full performance of the system can only be gained through the wi-fi.

So, as said above, it's all down to your specific system and circumstances.

Paul