Wifi vs hardwired for streaming


Best compromise? Wifi with mesh extenders, (eero) OR, a long run of ethernet, purchased at Best Buy...?

First time streamer...Eversolo T8.

larseand

When I do a speed test with Wi-Fi devices, the speed is usually close to what I expect but it does vary considerably. Ethernet is more stable and has much less speed variation. How your streamer handles the speed fluctuations may affect its performance. 

I don’t stream to my main system using WiFi. Too many dropouts in the past with hi-res audio. Now I run a long ethernet cable thru my attic, from a switch in my 2nd floor home office to my 2nd floor listening room. But not something from Best Buy. I use tested/certified Belden Cat6 cable from Blue Jeans Cable.

The only part I run on Wifi (because I have no choice) is with a WiiM Mini, and that’s just to support Apple Airplay2 on my DAC. I rarely use that protocol, except on occasion to stream something from Youtube on my laptop to my hifi. Otherwise I use Roon for all my digital music, hardwired to ethernet.

No one needs Cat7 or Cat8 in any home application. Cat 5e is good enough for high-res streaming, but pretty much everything is now standardized for home use at Cat6 or Cat6a, and that is what I use.

My mid-50's ranch is swathed in aluminum siding and has two wire circuitry in most parts of the house. I have recently switched to fiber internet with newer mesh units and the video has improved, primarily in terms of buffering and general connectivity. Also, dropping AT&T copper internet has all but eliminated wifi dropouts and general bandwidth issues.

That being said, my streamer is is about ten feet away from my router and is plugged into a different circuit. I'm using an ethernet connection using a slightly upgraded cable. Unless I move my system to another end of the house, I will stick with wired a connection. I can't easily make a long ethernet run due to having a slab construction and an attic full of cellulose. 

I prefer Ethernet.  The only downside is having to hide the cables.  I have a home configuration that makes this very easy but of course that is an individual issue

Is there any advantage to putting a Wifi mesh point next to my equipment and using ethernet into it over using the streamer's built-in WiFi? I'm getting good signal into everything using the built-in WiFi.