Our Sites:
Technology changes fast, that’s undeniable. Many countries, including Australia, now enable connection to the Internet via radio waves from the Internet service provider (ISP). The signals are converted for the business or home user by way of a special modem connected to a powerful antenna that is outside or on the back of the modem. Buying a wireless Internet package in Australia isn't too tricky as there not currently that many providers when compared with the numbers of dial-up or ADSL companies. There are few things you need to know before you sign up though… Here’s the low-down on the providers, their deals and how to get the best possible wireless package.
WISPS (Wireless Internet Service Providers)
Okay, so the Australian market is not yet flooded with Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPS) but they are growing in number. With the launch of iBurst wireless, Optus and Telstra were suddenly more concerned about lowering their prices, so that means wireless is not necessarily an expensive option any more. As a wholesaler, iBurst relies on service providers to sell it’s product to end-users. Unwired's “Switch On” plan costs just $15.95 a month for speeds of 64/32kbs, with a download limit of 200MB. Although at the moment wireless cannot consistently reach the same top speeds as ADSL (especially with the introduction of ADSL2), speeds of 1024/256kbs are available. Big Air, one of the many companies that can connect you to iBurst, also provides you with download speeds of 1024kb for $199 a month. If you are a residential customer, Chilli, another iBurst provider, can get you the same download speed of 1024kb (with a marginally higher upload speed), for much less, starting at $54.95 with 1GB of data to download each month. However, if it's speed you want, don't go past BigPond - their Super G Fast plans go right up to 1500kb, with a limit of 3GB per month, for $149.95.
Wireless Shopping Checklist
To make sure you don't get a nasty surprise on your monthly bill, you should consider the following points before choosing to connect with a particular provider.
- Availability. Have you checked that wireless is available in your area? Most urban areas can now access wireless services, although some city areas will have a greater choice of WISP than others.
- Speed and Download Limit. As with any Internet connection, you need to decide how fast you want your connection to be, as well as how much you want to download – with the premium options, wireless can work out to be quite pricey. You need to check the download limits and find out if there is a price cap. If you go over your limits you may be charged extra.
- Connection Fee and Extras. Generally, you'll have to pay for a connection fee, but the fee varies between companies. Find out whether other things you might expect to be free, such as service or a helpline, are included in the quoted price.
- Modem. You can't use any old modem with wireless Internet - it needs to have a very powerful antenna. You can generally get a wireless modem when you purchase a connection but it is an additional cost. Is it worth the money? If you think you can get one cheaper make sure you have read the product reviews and are certain it will suit the service you are signing up for.