What are some of the problems with the view that light is a disturbance of the ether? There is a view that was held by Nikola Tesla, that light does not consist of photons, but is a disturbance of the ether - the same way sound is a disturbance of the atmosphere - and that the speed of light is the actually the maximum rate of induction.
Where would this model be lacking, apart from the obvious fact that the ether is not considered to be factual?
 A: If light were a real wave in a real ether, similar to water waves or sound waves, we would find that the measured speed of light depends on whether the earth, in its orbit around the sun, is travelling with or against the light's motion.
Maxwell's equations allow you to calculate the speed of electromagnetic waves from the permittivity and the permeability of free space. The speed and direction of the earth's movement do not appear in the calculation, implying that the speed of the wave is independent of the earth's movement. The calculated result accurately matches the measured speed of light, proving that light is a form of electromagnetic waves. 
The Michelson–Morley experiment proved the speed of earth through the ether is not measurable. Regardless of the direction of the earth's movement, the measured speed of light stays exactly the same. 
Einstein used the fixed speed of light as the starting point for his theory of Special Relativity. This theory and its extension, the Theory of General Relativity, have been thoroughly tested many times in the past century, and so far have been found to perfectly agree with our measurements.
As a result, we can say that light can definitely not be treated as a wave in a material.
