..:: What is Wireless Broadband

Well what is Wireless Broadband ? I'll tell you one thing, Wireless Broadband may not be what you think it is! I often find myself giving out advice to people about ADSL Broadband and Wireless Broadband packages, only to find that due to the marketing of the larger ISP's they think that Wireless Broadband is something new that is separate from ADSL Broadband that you get from your phone line. Problem is that this is both true and very false! What I want to do in this article is try and clear up what Wireless Broadband is!

Ok first off wireless broadband is all about getting Broadband Internet access Wirelessly. That's it no wires! Sounds simple enough so far.. Right, what I've found in my travels is that there are in fact two different types of wireless broadband being promoted these days. There is the Wireless Broadband hotspots that are popping up around the country where you can go along with you Wireless network (WiFi) enabled device and logon to the internet for either a small contract charge or pay as you go charge. THIS is what Wireless Broadband truly is. You get your wireless broadband access completely wirelessly, you don't have access, don't know about, don't care! about the wires involved, but they are there behind the walls trust me!. But as far as the end user is concerned it's Wireless Braodband. Only possible wires you need to worry about is the one for the power to your laptop and the one from your ipod!

Now that we've got that out of the way here's the tricky one that is catching A LOT of people out. When we see Internet Service Providers advertising Wireless Broadband for only ££.pp per month! What do you think that really means? That you pay a monthly fee and you get access to a wireless broadband hotspot? NO! Does it mean you have complete freedom to have wireless broadband internet access anywhere? NO! So what then!! (i hear you say)

Well the Wireless Broadband which you will order from and Internet Service Provider (ISP) is going to be exactly the same broadband internet service that you get from a normal ADSL Broadband package. That's right the ones you are possibly used to with the dodgy looking phone socket splitters and phone wire going into the back of a modem/router or your PC. Doesn't sound very Wireless does it!! Well this is where the confusion comes in. Because companies are marketing it as a new product when in fact it is exactly the same ADSL Broadband service they have been providing for a few years now. What a CON! Yeah sort of.. Ok so how is it advertised as Wireless Broadband if it's not wireless! That's because when you previously ordered up ADSL Broadband from an ISP you possibly got one of four options:

• ADSL Broadband with USB Modem
• ADSL Broadband with Internal (PCI) Modem
• ADSL Broadband with Network Router
• ADSL Broadband with no Modem/Router

What makes these wireless broadband packages different is that they are not offered with a Wireless Broadband Network Router. That's all! All this advertising and marketing is simple offering a Wireless Broadband Network Router. Exactly the same as a ADSL Broadband Network Router but with a bit of wizardry inside which is able to transmit and receive Wireless Network signals. The ADSL Broadband service is the same. Same splitters on the phone socket and you still need to plug a cable from your phone line splitter/filter into the back of your Wireless Broadband Router.

If you are thinking for Wireless Broadband then it's worth noting that you will need to make sure that your PC, Laptop, PDA, Mobile phone, Games console are able to connect to Wireless Networks. If not you will need to purchase a Wireless Network adapter for your devices. These come in a few options.. Internal PCI card for your desktop, PCMCIA for laptops and now you can get relatively inexpensive USB ones which can me used in most circumstances.

One other thing worth mentioning is that if you already have ADSL Broadband in your home you can get Wireless Broadband simply by purchasing a Wireless Broadband Router and connecting that to your phone line instead of your modem.. No need to inform your ISP, no need to pay extra rental or change your broadband package. The Wireless part of Broadband is simply what you have connected to the phone line in your home! So if you have ADSL Broadband and want to go Wireless Buy a Wireless Broadband Router. Simple as that! Oh and you may also need some adapters if your computer equipment does not have wireless network (WiFI) capabilities built in.

If you have any questions regarding Wireless Broadband please don't hesitate to contact me. you can make use of our public discussion forums.

Wireless Broadband Routers >>