Can an ethernet cable have a virus?

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  1. Posts : 1,035
    Windows 10
       #1

    Can an ethernet cable have a virus?


    Hey all. So when i used a desktop, obviously i use the laptop wired with ethernet cable. But i no longer use a desktop and thus use a laptop now. The thing is i connect it to external monitor almost always and thus use ethernet cable to use wired internet. Sometimes i use wifi if i bring laptop to somewhere else in apartment.But if you are planning to use it connected and on a desk, you should always use it wired with an ethernet cable right?


    I recalled wired is always faster. The thing is i don't have an ethernet cable now and just using it on wifi and it seems okay. But you would always suggest get an ethernet cable for you are using it on a desk where you don't move it right?



    Also i know this may sound like a dumb question. But could an ethernet cable carry a virus? Like imagine someone gives you an ethernet cable or you bought a used or or you bought a new one but it was actually returned and used. Is it possible for that to infect your laptop? Im going to buy an ethernet cable at one of these stores like computer shops but i want to know, is it possible an ethernet cable has virus? I would be connecting it from modem to an ethernet adapter connected to a usb port on my laptop. I know this may sound very foolish to ask this but i want to make sure. I ask this because i cannot order an ethernet cable directly from say amazon because of where im located now.
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  2. Posts : 1,099
    Win 10 pro Upgraded from 8.1
       #2

    No ethernet cable is just wire coated with plastic wound into twisted pairs and again coated with a plastic cover. With ethernet connectors or both ends. There is no place to store any data to carry a virus. now then a used one might somehow carry a medical virus somehow but that's not likely.
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  3. Posts : 7,128
    Windows 10 Pro Insider
       #3

    To answer your question, no. If WiFi is working OK I wouldn't worry about using a wired connection.
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  4. Posts : 31,471
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #4

    paulyjustin said:
    ...I recalled wired is always faster. The thing is i don't have an ethernet cable now and just using it on wifi and it seems okay...
    You need to look at the whole path of your internet connection, not just the speed of the WiFi or Ethernet. It's the slowest part of the system that limits your speed, and for me that's the broadband speed. Ethernet is faster than WiFi, but if they're both faster than your broadband connection you won't see any difference.
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  5. Posts : 8,057
    windows 10
       #5

    With a modern AC router in theory it's faster than most Ethernet with speeds over 3gig
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  6. Posts : 5,478
    2004
       #6

    Samuria said:
    With a modern AC router in theory it's faster than most Ethernet with speeds over 3gig
    I wish we could downvote comments sometimes.
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  7. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #7

    Hi there

    LAN cable of could of course carry a "Biological Virus" !!!!!!!! but to do that somebody would have to get physical access to contaminate it. So don't get chased by Russian FSB !!! (You must have seen reports of what's been happening in the English city of Salisbury).

    Consumer grade routers usually don't have speeds of 3Gb/s and even if they did most rubbish cheap components in an average laptop wouldn't be able to handle the speed.

    However if you can use the new AD protocol and lash out serious bucks then this one at 7Gb/s might be of interest.

    Nighthawk X10: The Best WiFi Router | 802.11ad | AD7200 (R9000) by NETGEAR

    Also could someone tell me how a LAN of 10 - 100 Gb/s is slower than any current domestic wifi - even on the best full duplex 5GHZ wifi -- the theoretical max speed (unless the Laws of physics have changed radically) of current 5GHZ is around 850 Mb/s -- and most rubbish wifi consumer grade cards in laptops etc won't give you any where near that speed. Similarly how many people even on fibre are getting over 1Gb/s from their isp's - and even if they were how many computers have decent wifi / lan adapters in them to handle the speed.

    4G on a mobile phone won't either give you anything like 100Gb/s - assuming you have a data plan to allow you to download as much as you want. I'm looking forward to the experimental 1Tb/s service due to come out soon -- but for what I need it would just be an expensive Toy. I'm quite happy with 1Gb/s even for downloading 4K movies.

    Cheers
    jimbo
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  8. Posts : 30,530
    Windows 10 (Pro and Insider Pro)
       #8

    paulyjustin said:
    Hey all. So when i used a desktop, obviously i use the laptop wired with ethernet cable. But i no longer use a desktop and thus use a laptop now. The thing is i connect it to external monitor almost always and thus use ethernet cable to use wired internet. Sometimes i use wifi if i bring laptop to somewhere else in apartment.But if you are planning to use it connected and on a desk, you should always use it wired with an ethernet cable right?


    I recalled wired is always faster. The thing is i don't have an ethernet cable now and just using it on wifi and it seems okay. But you would always suggest get an ethernet cable for you are using it on a desk where you don't move it right?



    Also i know this may sound like a dumb question. But could an ethernet cable carry a virus? Like imagine someone gives you an ethernet cable or you bought a used or or you bought a new one but it was actually returned and used. Is it possible for that to infect your laptop? Im going to buy an ethernet cable at one of these stores like computer shops but i want to know, is it possible an ethernet cable has virus? I would be connecting it from modem to an ethernet adapter connected to a usb port on my laptop. I know this may sound very foolish to ask this but i want to make sure. I ask this because i cannot order an ethernet cable directly from say amazon because of where im located now.
    Ethernet cable by itself can't carry a virus or malicious code. But for connecting to USB, you would have to get an adapter, which in theory can (there's some chips inside which make adapter from Ethernet to USB port). But is very unlikely.

    This is what you need, besides Ethernet cable... if you have one, you're good :)

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  9. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #9

    Hi there
    AD protocol can do wifi at 7.2 Gb/s so can be faster than some slower ethernet hardware. However these routers are currently very expensive (around 400 USD LESS tax) and I doubt whether typical computer components would be able to handle the speed -- a lot of built in wifi cards on laptops is still only around 100 Mb/s.

    In theory ethernet should be faster (generally) than wifi - but modern technology keeps pushing the boundaries. Once those types of routers come down in price we probably will see the end of a lot of LAN cabling -- switches and wifi extenders will replace them.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 19,516
    W11+W11 Developer Insider + Linux
       #10

    Actual WiFi speeds can suffer badly from low signal strength and interference by other devices with near same frequency (like Blue tooth or wireless mice for instance). That results in lost packets that have to be re-downloaded effectively lowering transmission speeds and result in high ping. That's why I always insist on wired connection wherever possible.
    It also eliminates hacking WiFi which if not properly set up and protected can easily be broken into.
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