[quote name='Kaijufan']When using a wired connection the packet it created and sent down the Ethernet cable. It's fast and reliable.
With wireless the packet must be created, but then must be encrypted, then modulated so that the wireless device at the other end can receive it in a format it understands. The packet must then be decrypted, and then sent out to the internet. If a device only has one antenna then it can only transmit or receive, not both like with wired connections. Plus plenty of things in the house running on the same frequency can cause interference problems, and the further away from the wireless router a device is the weaker the signal.
Everything extra with a wireless connection does add to the latency, and in gaming you want to have as little latency as possible. Wireless networks work really well for many things, but for gaming a wired connection is better.[/quote]
Huge amount of mis-information here.
Speed wise wireless = wired. The limiter is your cable modem's speed which, if your lucky, pulls down 5mbps. Even the first iteration of wireless, 802.11b more than doubles that speed at 11mbps. And g far exceeds it.
Your in-game lag will not be noticeable. We're talking about a signal that travels across the country through multiple stops in a fraction of a second. You really think that you're going to affect that in the short distance from your Wii to your modem?
The downside of wireless if it takes some configuration to get setup correctly and it occasionally will go down and require a restart of your router. It also can be interfered with by other wireless devices. The chance is about 1 in a hundred thousand though. I have two wireless phones, wireless speakers, and a wireless game adaptor all within 10 feet of one another and I never have a problem with "interference".
The downside of wired is you have a big freaking cable that you need to run through your house. And it has a distance limit. Plus don't think that wired is immune to interference. Just try running it too close to some power cables in the wall and you'll learn.
When it's all said and done, wireless is superior because it's convenient, stable and the speed is equal to any wired connection.