Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Fiber, Coaxial & Radio: Transmission Media Compared

The Physical Layer's choice of transmission medium profoundly affects the performance, cost, security, and reliability of a network. The OSI Model Simulator supports all five major media types — making it a powerful tool for understanding how physical choices ripple up through all seven OSI layers. Medium Speed Max Distance Security Cost Ethernet Up to 10 Gbps+ 100m (Cat6a) High (physical access) Low Wi-Fi Up to ~9.6 Gbps (Wi-Fi 6) ~100m indoor Medium (WPA3) Low Fiber Optic Terabits/s 100s of km Very High High Coaxial Up to 1 Gbps 500m (RG-8) Medium Medium Radio Variable (5G: Gbps) km to global (satellite) Low–Medium Variable Ethernet: The Reliable Standard Ethernet is the dominant wired networking standard in homes, offices, and data centers. Using twisted-pair copper cables (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a), it provides reliable, high-speed connectivity with predictable latency. The IEEE 802.3 standard governs Ethernet, and modern variants include 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE. Wi-Fi: Wireless Freedom Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) eliminated the need for physical cables in most consumer settings. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 6E deliver impressive speeds, but shared medium access, interference, and radio propagation challenges mean it will never fully replace wired Ethernet for critical applications. Fiber Optic: The Internet's Backbone Fiber optic cables carry data as pulses of light through glass or plastic strands. They're immune to electromagnetic interference, support enormous bandwidth, and can span continents — literally. Every major internet exchange, submarine cable, and data center interconnect uses fiber. Coaxial Cable: The Cable TV Legacy Coaxial cable — familiar from cable TV connections — consists of a central conductor surrounded by insulating layers and a braided metal shield. DOCSIS-based cable internet connections (common from ISPs like Comcast) use coaxial as the last-mile medium. Radio: Wireless at Scale From the cellular 5G network in your pocket to satellite