Guide

Wired vs. Wi-Fi: what a work-from-home tech check actually tests

4 min read · Updated 2026-10-21

A laptop on a bright desk with a network cable plugged into its side

People are surprised when a tech check fails on a fast plan. The reason is usually not the plan. It's the three feet between the computer and the router.

What the scan looks at

Employer tech checks (Liveops' Tech Check, Arise's PC Scan, TTEC's initial systems assessment, and others) typically measure:

Connection type — whether the computer's active network adapter is Ethernet or Wi-Fi
Download and upload speed — measured on that adapter, not what your plan says
Latency and jitter — round-trip time and how much it varies
Packet loss
Whether a VPN is active (most require it off during the scan)

Wi-Fi typically passes the speed part and fails on adapter type, latency variance, or packet loss — or is simply disallowed outright.

The employers that require Ethernet by name

TTEC: "A hardwired connection to your home router is required."
Liveops: "Wired internet connection via an Ethernet cable (No WiFi or Satellite connectivity)."
Conduent: "Must connect via Ethernet (not Wi-Fi)."
Amazon virtual customer service: "Hardwired ethernet connection (not WiFi)."
Arise: "PC MUST be hard-wired via Ethernet connection and cannot be connected to Wi-Fi."
KellyConnect: "Hardwired home internet."

The part most people miss: where the jack is

Your router is usually where the cable enters the house — the living room, a closet, a bedroom on the far side. Your desk is somewhere else. If there is no Ethernet run to the room you work in, you end up on Wi-Fi by default, and the check fails.

This is the single most common reason a person with perfectly good internet fails. The fix is a wired run to the workspace, which is easiest to do at install time.

What we do differently

When we set up a connection for a remote worker, we make sure the install puts an Ethernet connection where the desk is, not where the TV is. That one decision is the difference between passing and failing for most applicants.

See whether a wired line is available at your address: check availability. Related: how to run Ethernet to your home office.

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Common questions

Typically three things: download speed, upload speed, and how the computer reaches the router. Some employers add a ping ceiling - Conduent asks for 175 ms or less. The third item is the one people fail, because it is not a number.

Yes. Remote-desktop and softphone tools report the adapter in use, so a Wi-Fi connection is visible without anyone visiting your home. Hilton's requirement states plainly that 'WiFi is not permitted'.

Because a tech check is about consistency during a call, not peak throughput. Wi-Fi shares the air with every other device and neighbouring network, and a two-second dropout mid-call is the failure the rule exists to prevent.

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