Downloading Speed Discussion/Question

[schuarta]

Well, we've gone a bought a new desktop pc - ASUS G11, well fitted out. 

Now we have a whole lot of program downloading to do. 

I get my internet connection through an ATT U-verse interface box. 

What would be the difference in download speed (time) operating wireless thru the Homegroup Network verses connecting hardwire to the ATT box? 

Is it significant enough to bother hooking up the wire? 

[patio]

Depends how many people use the wireless...

But in general terms wireless...even if it's just you can expect a 8 - 12% difference from hardwired in most cases

[Salmon Trout]

a 8 - 12% difference from hardwired in most cases

Often a much greater drop. Depends on distance from the router... and what type of wi-fi.

    802.11b up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps)
    802.11a and 802.11g offer up to 54 Mbps
    802.11n up to 300 Mbps
    802.11ac up to 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps)

Note these are "up to" figures. You aren't going to get anything like these in the real world. 802.11b max around 5.5 Mbps, 802.11a and 802.11g around 20 Mbps, and 802.11n can struggle to reach 100 Mbps. I have a 200 Mbps fibre connection and over ethernet (wired) I can max that out from a newsgroup server in Holland, but my laptop on 802.11n struggles to get 50 mpbs on the same desk as the router about 1 metre away. In the next room it will show 10-15 Mbps. I believe 802.11ac might let me max out my connection at say 3 metres/10 feet from the router with nothing in the way, but it would drop off rapidly with distance.

[Geek-9pm]

...
I get my internet connection through an ATT U-verse interface box. 
What would be the difference in download speed (time) operating wireless thru the Homegroup Network verses connecting hardwire to the ATT box? 
...

What is the published speed  of the first  item?
What is the estimated speed of the second item?

Cell phone 4G LTE.

4G LTE vs. cable. Verizon 4G LTE wireless broadband is 10 times faster than 3G—able to handle download speeds between 5 and 12 Mbps (Megabits per second) and upload speeds between 2 and 5 Mbps, with peak download speeds approaching 50 Mbps. Cable speeds vary, but 4 to 12 Mbps are common

POTS copper wire  DSL.
Often speed is about 3.1 Mbps - 6 Mbps.  But there are exceptions. Claims have been made to the effect it can go over 100 Mpbs.

DSL, or Digital Subscriber Line, is a step above this. Its speeds can range from approximately 128 Kbps to 9 megabits per second (Mbps). Cable Internet provides speeds up to approximately 30 Mbps, although the speeds are not always consistent. Oftentimes, speeds drop during peak Internet hours.Nov 5, 2015

Coaxial Cable TV:

Comcast XFINITY has more options for internet service than competitors, but its support could use improvement. If you have the know-how to set up and service your internet, Comcast is more than appealing—its prices are low, and it has plans with download speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 2,000 Mbps.Jul 28, 2016

So, there is a lot of room for wrong interpretation.

[camerongray]

Essentially the best thing you can do is try it over both wired and wireless and see how you get on.  It is near impossible to predict the sort of speeds you'll get over wireless due to how much the performance can be affected by your router, wireless adaptor in your PC as well as nearby devices and the layout/construction of your house.  It would just be a simple case of connecting it with a cable, running a speedtest then running it over WiFi and running a speedtest again, see if the speed is massively affected.

For me, if it's a desktop and it's even slightly convenient to run a cable to it, I'll connect it with a cable.