Yes they are. “The terms light, electromagnetic waves, and radiation all refer to the same physical phenomenon: electromagnetic energy.”
https://science.nasa.gov/ems/02_anatomy
Light and radio are both electromagnetic energy. Radio waves and light both propagate at the speed of light. The speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant. The speed of light in various mediums is always slower. Among copper, air and glass, light/EM waves will propagate the slowest in glass and the fastest in air.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light
> cannot make use of light through air even a fraction as efficiently as light through fiber optic cable, due to a guaranteed minimum amount of light interference in air that a fiber optic cable will never have, right?
No, not right. As someone else pointed out a point to point link through the air will have lower latency than fiber (glass or plastic).
Whether or not a signal can be carried accurately and error free through any medium involves concepts beyond a basic understanding of the speed of light. But in the real world one will encounter reliable well designed wireless links and poorly performing wired links.
There's a clear misunderstanding here.
Light and wireless signals used by mice etc are the same thing though, just at a different frequency. They propagate at the same speed, the speed of light, which ironically is slower in glass.
Wireless signals in air travel faster than light in a fiber optic cable (and faster than electricity in copper).
I want the solution with the absolute lowest latency, not the "low enough" latency. Wired wins at every price point.
It's also not the only reason to prefer wired, it's one of the half dozen I've outlined above.
Wireless anything is an affront to engineering, physics, and peak performance.
The preference for wireless comes strictly from a neurotic aversion to cables, nothing more.
Just to be clear, your wireless mouse, keyboard, headset, and network connection are not making use of light through air, and your wireless network connection cannot make use of light through air even a fraction as efficiently as light through fiber optic cable, due to a guaranteed minimum amount of light interference in air that a fiber optic cable will never have, right?