LTE vs. Wi-Fi – is the cellular data plan better than a wireless connectivity plan?

When looking at the connection standards that are used in a wireless broadband system, it can easily become confusing when you check out all the acronyms you are supposed to keep track of – and choosing one can seem like a frustrating process because you have no idea what will and will not work for you. Regardless of the choices you have to make, the Wi-Fi and LTE connection methods are considered the most important.

It is a fact that having a good internet connection is very important in our lives today, and you can access it through Wi-Fi, LTE, or another connection system. This makes it important to know the differences between them, so that you know the connection type that works best for you. We will compare the services from LTE (using Verizon as our source), which is a cellular/data transmission service, and Wi-Fi from Google Fiber, a wireless connectivity service.

What are the differences between LTE and Wi-Fi?

LTE vs. Wi-Fi – How they compare

The types available

There are a variety of types of LTE technology, which are all produced through the collaboration of various wireless service providers and electronics manufacturers, such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Sony, and Samsung. These come in a variety of versions as well, with the latest version being Release 12.

On the other hand, there are also a variety of Wi-Fi protocols that all use the Wi-Fi Alliance standards in place, and they include 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a.

Both the LTE and Wi-Fi come in different types, but the Wi-Fi standard is more versatile than what you would get from LTE.

Range and speeds

LTE technology reveals a data transfer speed of a 100 Mbps at the minimum, and 1 Gbps at the maximum. This makes LTE very good for delivering low latency and high speeds over a long distance, since it is easy to deploy generally. That does not mean that all LTE services are equal, and some LTE services will struggle with speeds and range depending on other factors beyond the control of the users.

The results show that the reason is that LTE deploys the data transmission job to different bandwidths – these are 20 MHz, 15 MHz, 10 MHz, 5 MHz, 3 MHz, and 1.4MHz. These bandwidth blocks will accommodate different data amounts, and they can take on different capacities depending on the LTE type that is under deployment.

The usual range to expect from a standard Wi-Fi network is 100 meters when there is no interference, and 10 to 40 meters when there is interference. The range will also depend on the frequency broadcast, as well as the antenna strength – for instance, a 5GHz band will have a shorter effective range compared to a 2.4GHz band.

LTE is the winner here, since it has greater efficiency in spreading out data signals to increase coverage, as well as carrying the signal over longer distances.

How they work

The only requirement to have in order to use LTE is having a mobile device that supports it – and you can know this through checking the device specifications. However, you should keep in mind that not all devices that show LTE in their specifications contain LTE hardware, as manufacturers misuse the term often. Therefore, you will want to check user reviews of the device if you want to ensure that what you are buying actually supports LTE performance levels.

The strength of LTE is due to several factors, with the main one being its use of radio waves, in contrast to WiMAX and 3G that use microwaves, and therefore allowing it to work on hardware that is already in existence. This also results in an LTE network having a better penetration in remote areas, as it uses a combination of better codec for signal encoding, fiber optic cables, and improved data communication and multimedia transfer.

On the other hand, Wi-Fi does not rely on wired connections, instead using radio waves to transmit information at specified frequencies, usually at 5GHz and 2.4GHz. Every frequency range will have several channels that a wireless device can use, which eventually reduces the load to reduce traffic crowding – although this can occur when a network is busy.

Many routers will offer Wi-Fi connections, and there are many products that can use the signals to connect to the internet. Aside from these devices, there is also whatis known as Wi-Fi adjacent devices, which use radio waves that are close to Wi-Fi spectrums but are not considered Wi-Fi because they use a different connection method. A good example of these is the ZigBee protocols, and Bluetooth.

We prefer the Wi-Fi standard here, as it is easier to setup and use due to its non-reliance on a wired connection.

LTE vs. Wi-Fi – A comparison review

LTE – Overview

LTE is an acronym for Long-Term Evolution, and it is seen by professionals in the networking sphere as a pathway to achieve a 4G speed standard. In previous years, you may have noted that your phone displays a ‘4G’ symbol at the upper right part of the screen, even though the actual connection type was not 4G – it was LTE. This was due to the unattainable speeds that are a requirement of 4G connections, even though tech manufacturers put in a lot of money in it, so LTE was used as a substitute for that.

This eventually led to networks advertising their LTE connectivity as 4G LTE, and they could achieve better reach compared to the earlier 3G standard.LTE generally offers greater bandwidth speeds, as well as multi-media streaming and better underlying technology to handle VoIP (voice calls), making it better suited for bandwidth-hungry applications on a mobile device.

Pros

• It has very high data capacity
• Low latency (so no lagging issues)
• It has low power consumption
• Promotes mobile communication with fast data transfer
• High quality of service
• Very good resilience
• Works very well with all IP network architecture

Cons

• Older mobile phones cannot access LTE features
• It will need equipment installation in order to be functional
• The system is complex and requires specialized network engineers for maintenance

Wi-Fi – Overview

Like the LTE, Wi-Fi is a wireless protocol that allows different devices to communicate with each other, without relying on internet cords. In a technical sense, it is a representation of a wireless LAN (local area network) that uses the 802.11 IEEE networking standard. It is also a trademark of the Wi-Fi alliance, which is a group of international companies that are involved with wireless LAN products and technologies.

Its spread has made it into the most popular wireless means of communicating data when using it in a fixed location. Its main requirement is that you have a device that can transmit and send the wireless signals, and these devices include a smartphone, computer, or router, each achieving the function in different ways.

Pros

• Greater efficiency due to improved data communications
• Availability and access
• Offers greater flexibility
• Allows you to offer new services or products
• Affordable to install

Cons

• Can result in installation problems
• Difficult to achieve consistent coverage in a large building
• Greater exposure to attacks
• Can be slow in transmission of data

Verdict: So what is better? LTE or Wi-Fi?

If you love using the internet, speed and convenience is very important to you when using the internet. Due to the larger area it can cover though, we choose the LTE as our winner, as its coverage is more versatile than what Wi-Fi can offer, especially in larger physical spaces.