Cable Not Included

Cable Not Included

Back in the old days of 2005- yes, in the technology world a decade is like a century in this generation- people used to ponder over the use of Wifi in fear of not getting the full, high-speed internet experience that the ancient 90’s Ethernet cable provided. They were also frightened of its reliability and whether it would fail to offer a decent service across rooms, hallways, and maybe even just between floor levels. But as the great physicist Niels Bohr once said: “The exponential increase in advancement will only continue”, thus, have we really improved our service of Wifi over the last decade, or has the economy learned to prefer mobility over reliability and took the 1991 invention (now known as WiFi) in acquiesce for what it is. In the article “Wifi vs Ethernet: Which Should You Use and Why” by Andy Betts, the author uses a friendly and colloquial tone, attractive and supportive images, and a concise structure with links to sources, to contrast the use of Wifi and Ethernet in the new age of 2015, and to evaluate if the old cable is still triumphant over its advanced and updated competitor.

In the article, the author tries to compare between Ethernet cables and Wifi through a series of topics where he states the pros and cons of each internet connection method, such as ‘speed’ and ‘reliability’.  He uses a more conversational tone, using phrases such as “Let’s take a look”, to implement a sense of ethos, as it makes him sound more like a friend or a teacher willing to help. Also, the author tries to create a fair and unbiased opinion towards the topic, however, one could say that he tries improve the status of the Wifi in this argument by introducing several features and circumstances where Wifi could be superior or less inferior, and demonstrates equipment that can help offer a better wireless service. An example of this sort of behavior is when Betts describes the Wifi connection’s “inconsistent performance” due to it being “susceptible to countless environmental factors”, but then goes on to explain how one could reduce this sort of undesirable circumstance, as he states that you can minimize the effect of inconsistency by “ensuring your router is placed in the optimum position”. He also goes on to describe how Ethernet cables are obviously superior in security, as one would have to plug in an Ethernet cable in person to access the local network, however, Betts then explains how one could improve the security of their router such as altering “…the default username and password for the admin panel on your wireless router”. Nevertheless, looking into the author’s background, published articles, and the newsletter’s sub-topic ‘Technology Explained’, this sort of behavior can be easily explained; the article not only aims to compare the two internet connection methods, but is also used to help those who are simply perplexed by the nature of the subject of connection methods and needs further comprehension. Thus, Betts seems to make sure the reader is familiar with everything, like a teacher trying to get a point across a classroom.

The use of images are used to attract the reader into engaging in the article, while at the same time, showing how an Ethernet cable may look like and how one may plug it in their device, as the article seems to make an effort of making sure the reader is not left confused. That being said, Betts uses images such as both the electronic components being evaluated, while also showing a picture of a sign for a Wifi hotspot in a place that seems like an arctic environment in the middle of nowhere- which pretty much supports his idea that “…Wifi hotspots could be found in a large number of places”. In addition, Betts also uses images to provide further understanding as to what the author was writing about in the previous paragraph. An example of this is when the author uses a screenshot of ‘speedtest.net’ to provide the reader a sense of how this website looks like, which would be great for when one is looking for the right website by using a search engine (such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.). Albeit, one may argue that the pictures may be outdated, the article is very recent (it was published on May 24^th, 2015), so all images are relevant to the topic at hand.

The writer uses a vast number of very short paragraphs to keep the reader fully focused, as reading a large paragraph could be seen as tedious for some. At various moments, the author uses only a sentence instead of a paragraph to highlight something important. In the article, he creates a sense of logos by demonstrating how the latest technology of Wifi in supportable environments can make Ethernet cables look more limiting than it used to be, and ends the sub-topic of ‘speed’ by using the isolated sentence “ The major benefit of Ethernet is now gone”. The word ‘major’ is used to imply that this may be a turning point in the comparison as Ethernet cables have lost the advantage that has brought them a small place in our progressive generation, while the word ‘gone’ suggests that it can never be retained and will soon be forgotten. Betts also uses hyperlinks to aid readers who are muddled, or are simply intrigued by what has been said and would like to learn more. The aspect of hyperlinks has broadened the author’s target audience, because now even the average simpleton who has no idea what an Ethernet cable even is could simply press the phrase “…good old-fashioned cable connection…” and would be sent to a local article in the newsletter website that would explain everything about an Ethernet cable that one would need or want to know. Finally, the writer’s use of bold sub-titles creates a sense of order and organization, creating a feeling of comfort and encouraging the reader to read on, while also informing the reader what exactly is being discussed.

Overall, Andy Betts attempts to use a quite informal tone, relative images, and an easy to read, well organized structure to compare the use of Wifi and Ethernet and to evaluate which source would lead to a more qualitative web experience. However, due to the newsletter’s genre of technology education and the author’s zeal of teaching how to use complex systems, the article sways from the main idea of persuasion. Rather, Betts seems to focus more on making sure that anybody and everybody can understand what is being said, and because of his credibility, people will most likely believe it. Nonetheless, one could say that the article provided enough information for one to create their own personal opinion towards this subject, and in the case where one cannot, the author seems to offer a compromise by stating that most routers have Ethernet ports, helping them create their own opinion through first-hand experience. In the end, everybody is a winner.

Works Cited

Betts, Andy. "Wi-Fi vs Ethernet: Which Should You Use and Why?" MakeUseOf. Technology Explained, 24 May 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2015