Ok this is a general question.

Does wireless networking have a slower internet connection in any way compared to direct cable from the router? keeping in mind the computer to computer distance ios around 25 feet. would i be better off jsut using a cable . I would like to reduce ping,lag and produce the highest internet connection rate as possible.

\thanks!

Theoretically it shouldn't (802.11b is 11 mbs, and even if you use half of that...5.5 mbs, that's still more than your internet speed...cable is 3 mbs, and dsl is slower than that).

Although, i have several wireless pc's, and they don't connect as fast as my wired pc's. But who knows, maybe 802.11g might be quick enough (it's 54 mbs, or 108 mbs depending on the equipment)

The problem with wireless is that it's affected by the enviroment (walls, distance, etc), as well as collisions with other traffic (ie: 2.4 ghz cordless phones). That'll cause dropped packets, etc.

I've tried running speed tests from both computers, and the wireless pc's get slower results

Another problem is you need to encrypt the traffic of your wireless network in order to protect it. Otherwise, even with MAC address filtering, anyone could simply intercept a packet, see the mac address, and spoof the mac address to gain access to your network. Then they could soak your bandwidth, hack your systems, spread malware, etc. Encryption and decryption processes also produce lag. Therefore, I don't recommend wireless for a permanent solution for constant LAN gaming.

Also, please realize there is a difference between throughput and latency, although one can effect the other. While even 11Mbps 802.11b is more than twice the throughput of even the fastest typical home broadband solutions, you also need to worry about latency, which is really what lag is. Encryption as I mentioned above shouldn't effect throughput much, but it will increase latency.

"...but in my defense, it was dark, I was drunk, and it was delicious!"