. But I’d like everyone to instead consider the advantages of an earlier tech: wired networking via good old reliable Ethernet.

Ethernet is easy to overlook now that almost everything has gone wireless, but it still has a role to play: filling in a flaw in Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t build Ethernet ports into MacBooks, but adding one is easy and inexpensive.

People who weren’t around before Wi-Fi became ubiquitous might not appreciate how completely it changed computing. Back then, laptops were a niche product because there wasn’t much advantage to them — your computer could go anywhere, but was really only useful at a desk with an Ethernet connection. Heck, some people just put their files on a disc and carried them between stationary desktops.

I don’t need to tell you that Wi-Fi revolutionized computing. Now that you could use your computer anywhere in your home or office, laptops made much more sense. And Apple knew it, which is why the iBook took Wi-Fi mainstream in 1999.

Today, Wi-Fi gets built into Mac, iPad and iPhone because we users demand it. Celebrating World Wi-Fi Day seems a bit unnecessary, like celebrating Oxygen Day.

Wi-Fi is so widely used, its flaw often gets overlooked: It’s a terrible way to get connectivity to a lot of people crowded into a small area. There’s a limited amount of wireless spectrum to go around. That’s why the problem can’t be fixed by adding more routers.

The Wi-Fi Alliance built Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 to try and help the problem, but there’s only so much these can do. Plus, new solutions require new routers and computers.

I was reminded of this by my niece returning from college orientation with a strong recommendation from her university that her computer not depend entirely on Wi-Fi for a connection on campus. Especially in her dorm.

It makes sense. A few hundred students inevitably will overwhelm the Wi-Fi network with all their computers, tablets, phones, game consoles … just about any gadget you can think of.

Hopefully, you’ve already guessed what my niece’s school recommended for internet access in the dorms: Ethernet. A wired network is vastly more capable than Wi-Fi of handling a bunch of students in one building who all need high-speed connectivity. The same goes for employees crowded into an office.

That’s because a school or company can build a better wired network to handle additional people, but additional Wi-Fi hotspots can’t create more open wireless spectrum. The hotspots interfere with each other, even on World Wi-Fi Day. Maybe especially on World Wi-Fi Day.

So, college students and anyone working in a large office should use a computer with Ethernet. Here’s where the wrinkle arises. While Apple builds the necessary tech into its desktops, don’t go looking for an Ethernet port on your MacBook or iPad. Those are Wi-Fi only.

Fortunately, the solution is quick and affordable. I recently reviewed an Ethernet adapter from Plugable that plugs into the USB-C port on a laptop or tablet to provide wired connectivity at up to 5Gbps. Priced at $40, the USBC-E5000 offers a much better option than years of swearing at the glacially slow Wi-Fi in your dorm room or office cubical

To be clear, Ethernet isn’t always better than Wi-Fi — wireless internet access is among the greatest creations of our civilization (and well worthy of celebration on World Wi-Fi Day). But Ethernet still has a place, and your Mac or iPad needs to be able to take advantage of it.