Wireless connections use radio waves.
Give two reasons why a wireless connection can have a lower speed than a wired connection.
Mark scheme
Award one mark for any of the following up to a maximum of two marks:
- Interference from other electrical/electronic devices (1)
- Walls/obstacles block or weaken the signal (1)
- The signal gets weaker the further a device is from the access point (1)
- Other devices/networks use the same wireless channel/frequency (1)
- A wireless channel has less bandwidth than a wired connection (1)
Do not accept 'higher latency', because latency is a delay and does not reduce the speed at which data is transferred.
Do not accept 'wireless is slower' / 'wired is faster' without a reason.
Do not accept 'radio waves are slower than signals in a cable' as they travel at the same speed.
Example answers and how they were marked
Other electrical devices can cause interference, and walls can block the signal.
Why: Gives interference (1) and walls blocking the signal (1).
Walls can block the wireless signal.
Why: Gives one valid reason, walls blocking the signal (1), but no second reason.
Wireless is slower because it has a higher latency, so the data takes longer to arrive.
Why: Confuses latency (a delay) with speed; 'higher latency' is not accepted and no other creditworthy reason is given.