Very simply, wireless broadband is high-speed Internet access delivered without wires. It can refer to a wifi connection in your home, or to the type of wireless connections made by smartphones and other mobile devices. But what exactly is "broadband" and what delivers it, if not wires? Here's the scoop...
What is Wireless Broadband?
Broadband is a rather nebulous term. And wireless broadband has several common applications as well. So let's start with a definition of broadband... Some people will tell you anything that's NOT a dialup connection (about 5Kbps) is a high-speed broadband connection. The European Organization for Economic Development considers anything faster than 256 Kbps to be broadband. And even though that's about 50 times faster than dialup, the U. S. Federal Communications Commission defines broadband as 4 Mbps or faster.
You may, indeed, be connected to a wireless router (Access Point) at 54 Mbps, or a "wireless N" router with an even faster rating. You can check that by clicking on the network icon in the Windows system tray; right-clicking on the name of the wireless network to which you are connected; and then clicking on "Status". You'll see the speed at which you are connected to the Access Point. That is the maximum speed at which you can download things from the Internet. But it's not the download speed you will get, necessarily.
The connection between the Access Point and the Internet is a critical factor. The owner of the Access Point may be paying for a slow 256 Kbps DSL connection or a blazing fast 100 Mbps fiber optic connection. In the DSL case, the fastest you will download is 256 Kbps even if your connection to the Access Point is 54 Mbps. The slowest link determines your maximum speed.
The "wireless" component of wireless broadband consists of radio signals, in common usage. The range of WiFi signals varies from a few dozen yards to up to 1.5 miles, depending on conditions such as buildings and trees that may partially block radio signal, atmospheric conditions, and how much radio interference is in the area. The range is also limited by law to prevent the unregulated WiFi signals from interfering with other radio traffic over a wide area.
Google the phrase "directional WiFi antenna" or "boost your WiFi" to find many products that claim to improve reception of weak WiFi signals. A high-gain antenna can improve reception, even pulling in signals that are otherwise out of your range, but you still won't get a connection that's faster than the Access Point. Again, it's the weakest link that determines your maximum connection speed.
Other Forms of Wireless Broadband
If you're connecting to a wireless network in a home or business setting, or in public "hotspots" found in cafes, airports, hotels, or bookstores, you're using the ubiquitous form of WiFi described above. But WiFi is not the only wireless form of broadband. Microwaves, infrared, and even visible light can carry Internet data without wires, too. Satellites in geo-stationary orbit receive microwaved Internet data from one point on Earth and broadcast it back to be picked up by dish receivers on the planet.
For those with mobile devices such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, wireless broadband can be delivered over the cellular phone network. Smartphones such as the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android-based phones can access the Internet over a 3G cellular connection. Tablets and ebook readers such as the iPad, Kindle and Nook can do the same, if they have the 3G feature. Laptops typically don't have the ability to connect to the cellular network, but you can buy a "wireless broadband modem" that plugs into a laptop or netbook to provide a high-speed Internet connection anywhere you can get a good cell signal. A strong 3G signal will allow you to connect at about 2Mbps, but 4G technology is just starting to roll out, promising speeds ten times faster than 3G networks.
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