Wireless Broadband

Top 5 Tips for Choosing Wireless Broadband

With all of the newest technologies, wireless broadband service has a lot to offer, but how do you choose what's right for you? Ask yourself the following five questions to boil things down.

1. Where will I be when I need to use the internet?

   Are you going to be on the move, taking your laptop with you? Simply plug in a USB wireless broadband modem (also called a dongle) and you’re ready to go. This type of service is excellent for getting high speed internet access to your door in places that aren't served by cable and ADSL.

   If you want to be able to use the internet all around town, then check out mobile wireless broadband from mobile phone providers. They are often cheaper if you have an existing mobile contract with them.

2. Why do you need wireless?

   Is it the only way to get broadband in your area? You almost always get a larger download quota with ADSL and ADSL 2+ than you will with wireless broadband. You’ll also pay more for wireless broadband, so make sure you definitely need wireless.

3. How much are you willing to spend?

   The advertised price isn't always everything. Additional costs can add up quickly. If you use go over your monthly usage cap, you will be charged per megabyte and this can become expensive very fast. Take a look at the service contracts. Some providers charge a flat monthly rate, and others charge by how much you use. If you only need it once in a while, some services offer a day pass or a weekly pass for a one time fee (prepaid wireless broadband).

4. What kinds of hardware do you need?

   Be sure you know what kinds of hardware you're going to have to buy in order to use your new internet service. Most computers bought in the last 5 years will be able to connect to wireless broadband through a USB port.

5. What is this company's reputation?

   Do your research on this one. You won't regret it. Your newfangled wireless internet service isn't very worthwhile if it breaks and you can't get a hold of anyone to fix it. Top notch customer service should certainly be one of your top priorities. A great resource is http://www.whirlpool.net.au which is Australia’s largest ISP and web user forum.

• Donald Peterson May 26, 2009, 11:12 am

  we had a computer technician setup wireless broadband in our home lst week. We have 3 computers all sharing the connection through a router, it's pretty good speed, but still much pricier than adsl. The excellent thing is there are no cables.

• walleroo August 17, 2009, 4:56 pm

  if you just want to network your broadband without wires, just buy a wireless adsl router, the speed and price is much better than a dedicated wireless option

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