The Pros And Cons Of High Speed Wireless Internet Access
If you haven't been living under a rock the past few years, then you've been bombarded with print and media advertisements about getting high speed wireless internet access. These advertisements have been targeted for the average web surfer as well as for businesses. Whole cities have set up grand plans to go "Wi-Fi". So, what's all the fuss about high speed wireless internet access?
The Pros
The most attractive aspect of getting high speed wireless internet access is that it costs so much less than dial up, cable or broadband. The information is not coming through a modem or cable lines, but through the air in radio waves. So, you don't need to be hooked up to a cable or telephone wire in order to get your information to your computer or PA or cell phone screen. All you need is to find a "Wi-Fi hotspot".
And, as the name implies, high speed internet access is a lot faster than broadband, cable and goes warp speed compared to dial-up. If you view a lot of movies or live news feeds, this is especially desirable. If you are hooked up to your business intranet, you can gain the information you need to your employees and clients as quick as light. And this technology is portable, so you are not stuck in one place.
The Cons
The biggest downside to high speed wireless internet access is the lack of security as compared to dial up, cable or broadband. Remember how I told you that information is transmitted through the air like radio waves? Well, if the radio is tuned to the right frequency, then anyone with a radio can listen in. This leaves your valuable data exposed to online criminals.
Security is being improved in high speed wireless internet access all of the time. Many wifi packages send the information out encrypted, meaning that unless you have the right password, the information an online criminal can pick up will look like mumbo jumbo. But you also need to use your common sense, such as not letting anyone peer over your shoulder.
Another downside is that you need to get new equipment that can pick up and receive Wi-Fi signals. Not every desktop or laptop can be converted to Wi-Fi. And high speed internet access signals are not constant all over the world. And since Wi-Fi is becoming do popular, too many Wi-Fi devices too close to each other will interrupt the signal.
