One of the most interesting things about the internet is that you really don’t need to know much about it in order to use it and even use it effectively. This is why even some of the basic notions and terms (like broadband or Wi-Fi) are often misunderstood or not understood at all. To help set this straight, let’s try to explain these notions, discuss where the confusion is coming from, and figure out how this knowledge may help you negotiate a better internet plan with your providers. Moreover, we’ll try to cover several other “problematic” terms and try to clear up the confusion.
The Importance of Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is detrimental to the lifestyle of the 21st century. It allows smartphones to access information in real-time without having to be removed from the network. In a way, it has completely revolutionized the traditional networking system.
Second, it has (for the most part) eliminated the reliance on traditional (physical) infrastructure. In the resource-scarce environment of tomorrow, this might make a world of difference.
More and more people work from home or, at least, collaborate with individuals and teams all over the globe. Thanks to the Wi-Fi connection, one is no longer tied to the office chair in order to achieve all of this. It’s also worth noting that the concept of Wi-Fi may have changed the image of the workstation for good. An office worker sitting in a lazy bag with a laptop in their arms is becoming an industry-standard image.
Smart homes, smart offices, smart cars, and smart technology (in general) would either be completely impractical or even outright impossible without Wi-Fi.
What’s the Difference?
The biggest problem with this confusion lies in the fact that the concepts of broadband internet and Wi-Fi don’t even belong to the same category. Broadband is the term used to describe the total internet connection that your modem/router uses. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is merely one of the forms of connection (a wireless one). In fact, wireless broadband and Wi-Fi are literally the same thing.
From the standpoint of comparison, it would be far more logically sound to compare Wi-Fi to the ethernet connection (internet data transfer via cable). Broadband internet, on the other hand, would be best-compared to the other broadband internet service. The latter is particularly useful for shopping around.
The very etymology of the term broadband derives from the contrast to the term narrowband (which only carried voice information in a narrow band of frequencies).
What Causes the Confusion?
Now, the confusion comes from the fact that, in today’s mobile world, the majority of people use a Wi-Fi connection to access the internet. Because of this, for a lot of people, Wi-Fi became a synonym for the internet (which is highly inaccurate). On the other hand, the term Broadband can actually be used as a synonym, which is what brings us to the predicament at hand.
A colloquial term for the internet vs. a bit more obscure synonym for the internet. Now, this doesn’t imply that the term broadband is not used/recognized by the people, only that they use it without fully understanding what the term stands for. Overall, this particular confusion has more to do with semantics than an actual tech difference.
In fact, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that, in a lot of scenarios, the terms broadband and Wi-Fi can be used interchangeably. Therefore, although the difference between these two terms is so significant, the confusion is both logical and expected.
Private Vs. Public
One of the most important distinctions between broadband and Wi-Fi lies in the fact that, when using broadband, people are usually referring to their private network. Once again, this is not a rule but a colloquialism. Sure, every internet everywhere is broadband, but you’re not likely to refer to the Wi-Fi connection that you detect in a café as broadband. On the other hand, you might just do so when it comes to the internet in your household or an office.
Keep in mind that broadband refers to all types of internet connections, and Wi-Fi is just one of them. Wi-Fi is much less reliable in terms of security than its ethernet counterpart. After all, in order to “steal” your ethernet, one would have to sneak inside of your home and plug their device into a cable running from your router/modem. With Wi-Fi, all they need is to be in range and have your password (which might not be as secure as you would want it to be, to begin with).
Then again, if Wi-Fi is secure, as well as private, and you’re 100% that your password is strong, there’s really no difference. It’s just an extra caveat to keep in mind.
Wi-Fi Vs. Mobile Broadband
Another confusing comparison comes when one is trying to differentiate between the terms Wi-Fi and mobile broadband. The truth is that mobile broadband is merely a marketing term for wireless internet that is accessed via mobile networks. The term itself is also quite self-explanatory, seeing as how it’s a method of delivering broadband speed internet to devices while you’re not at home (near to your standard router).
Fixed Wireless
The reason why fixed technology wireless is often compared to Wi-Fi is due to the fact that they work on a similar principle. Fixed wireless is usually spread via a wireless internet tower. This technology is especially prominent with the emergence of 4G and 5G technologies.
Fixed wireless is practically a massive Wi-Fi relay. Moreover, it’s possible to have both of these technologies working in unison. This is only natural, seeing as how the biggest difference between them comes from the scale and not the nature of the connection.
Moreover, fixed wireless internet might just make a huge difference when it comes to the future of the IoT. This is a concept that provides availability, speed, and accuracy of data transfer, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
In terms of everyday use in individual households, it’s important to notice that a large coverage area and lack of need for physical infrastructure (in terms of phone lines, etc.) is a huge advantage. Also, the high speed of the internet and low latency are big in terms of quality.
Choosing the Right Provider
Now, it’s also important to understand that each provider offers a different quality of service. Sometimes your entire experience will depend on the provider that you’ve chosen. In order to make an informed decision, it’s important that you shop around a bit, just so that you can get a decent comparison reference. The choice of provider also determines the quality of customer service.
In Conclusion
In the end, it’s true that you don’t need to understand what someone is to use it effectively. However, figuring out the difference may sometimes be detrimental to understanding what you are paying for. Moreover, seeing as how the internet is one of the tools essential for our way of life, understanding the terminology will make you a better conversation participant. Lastly, if there’s any issue regarding your connection, you’ll be able to give a far more accurate description of the customer service. Each of the above-listed is a massive perk in its own right.