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Just a few years ago both mobile phone technology and the ability to surf the world wide Web were seen as wondrous feats of technology. Now the technologies have been combined: more and more people are getting online without cumbersome metres of cabling. But there’s quite a bit of confusion about wireless and the term is often mistakenly applied to two very different things. So what kind of wireless are you looking for?
Wireless Internet: sometimes the term refers to the use of cable-free and thus “wireless” networks (for example, a networking card plugged into your computer), but usually it refers to provision of broadband Internet broadcast from an ISP. To help clarify the distinction between the two this article is split into two parts: wireless networking and wireless broadband, including the competing service providers.
W-LAN
Whether in the office or the home, a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) can come in mighty handy. Basically, you pay for an Internet service provider (ISP) to connect you to the Internet using your preferred method – ADSL, cable or satellite – and then attach a router, generally with a built-in modem. Each computer in the area (which may reach up to twenty metres in either direction) either needs to have a wireless card attached to it (which will need to be installed like any piece of hardware), or, if you have bought a laptop in the last couple of years, it may already have the necessary gear inside. Whoever sets it up will need to configure the correct IP (Internet Protocol) address each device uses to communicate, as well as setting up passwords. After this, you can configure it so you’ll be able to log on trouble-free each time, with different degrees of security.
The current standard for wireless is Draft G wireless (i.e. the frequency used), although this may soon be surpassed by the N standard. Draft N allows faster transmitting of bigger amounts of data, promising a brave new world of speedy transmission of high definition movies from your PC to the television and so forth. If you’re buying new gear, make sure they’re compatible.
How do I get wireless broadband?
Whereas with W-LAN you have a cable, satellite or ADSL Internet service provider and use a card with a 20m radius to eliminate some cabling when using your computer, wireless broadband is something different. To receive a wireless Internet signal a wireless modem is connected to your PC or Mac (using a card or with a cable), which then communicates by way of radio signal with a receiver in your area – not down phone lines. There's no need to worry about ugly antennas on your roof – depending on the modem you buy or are provided with by your ISP, it usually features a relatively compact receiver.
Perhaps the best feature of wireless broadband is the mobility of the technology – attach your modem to a laptop and you can surf pretty much anywhere you like. In other words, coverage is currently expanding from cities and towns to the majority of the country – BigPond claims they can reach around 98 percent of the Australian population. They, and other providers such as iBurst, provide lists of viable areas on their websites. However, it’s not flawless; recent tests have shown that even sitting on Bondi Beach, coverage can be patchy. The technology is comparable to mobile phones, and as such a “line of sight” from the tower still works much better than sitting in a valley or “blackspot’.
Wireless Internet Service Providers
There are a range of WISPS to choose from. BigPond and Optus offer wireless Internet but there are various others, including names such as Unwired, iBurst and Big Air. Unwired's Switch-On plan starts at $15.95 a month for speeds of 64/32kb, with a download limit of 200mb. If that isn’t fast enough – and it probably won’t be – speeds of 1024kb/256kb are available. Big Air can provide download speeds of 1024kb for $199 a month (if you are a residential customer), while BigPond is probably the company to go for if your main concern is speed speed speed and big or unlimited download limits.
