Learn English – “No matter how” vs However

However you look at this question it's not easy to answer

Whereas ignoring it is the easy option

However, neither will keep me awake at night

I'd always use "whereas" as the second part of a comparison. "however" could also be used in this way. Often "however" would have a comma after it when used as the second part of a comparison.

I take "however" as something like "how ever you take the meaning of this" .
OTOH "whereas" is something like "in contrast to the previous opinion"

To me (native American English speaker) they have the same meaning, but "before" sounds perhaps regional or outdated. It's totally grammatical and comprehensible, but I wouldn't expect to hear it often in Seattle.

In general, this construction, as compared to:

When does the term end?

What time do you get here?

has a slight nuance of "I think it's taking too long for the event to occur." If someone asks me:

How long till you get here?

I will probably hear, "I'm tired of waiting for you; why is it taking so long?" But it depends on the context and tone of voice.