Steam Link Over WiFi
Steam is the largest platform for sharing games for PC users. It has a library of thousands of video games online that you can store and play on PC. For any PC gamer, steam is a must-use software to have. However, there are some problems that are inevitable if you are using steam on your PC. It requires a super-fast and strong internet connection to work optimally. That is why you cannot use it over WiFi in most scenarios. If you are looking to hook your PC with steam over a WiFi connection, here are some scenarios that you must be aware of
Over 5GHz WiFi Network
Most modern routers allow you access to change their network settings between a 2.4GHz frequency and a 5GHz frequency. It is not recommended to use steam over a WiFi connection at all. However, some might say that you can make it work if you have a router that supports 5GHz connection. The truth is, the 5GHz network might be able to run Steam on your PC, but it will have some serious performance degradations that you want to avoid in the first place. Needless to say, that you will need to put your router very close to the PC as 5GHz does not support long-distance connections and doesn’t work well with devices even if they are in two different corners of the same room.
Ultimately, you might be able to run Steam over WiFi on a 5GHz connection but there will be speed issues that are unavoidable.
Over a Gaming Router
There are some high-end gaming routers available in the market that are designed for the sole purpose to support high-speed internet and data transfer wirelessly. But you will not only need a gaming router. Your internet connection should have the optimal ping and speed as well to make it work over a Wi-Fi connection. It is obvious that no matter what router you might be using, there are some speed losses over a wireless connection and some connectivity issues that are not avoidable in any case.
A gaming router should work optimally for you in an ideal case scenario, but if you want to have a connection that is stable enough with equal to none errors and disconnections, you should go for a wired internet connection for steam to run it perfectly.
Wired Connection
That is why most PC gamers prefer to have a wired internet connection. A wired internet connection ensures there are no speed losses from the router or any other device communication end. You will get seamless browsing, streaming, downloading, and gaming experience on steam with a wired connection. Most games require the lowest of pings and no disconnections. A wired connection would be the best solution for you if you are willing to use Steam at its best and use all the features that steam has to offer. It would be even better to use a fiber optic cable to be connected to the internet for Steam.