Wireless Broadband Guide Wireless internet and Wi-Fi explained

Author: Matt Powell

Last updated: 07 August 2024

Wireless broadband is an internet connection that doesn't use cables.

Sounds simple enough, but to confuse matters, the term can be used to refer to home Wi-Fi networks or the broadband service itself.

If you’re not clear on the difference or are thinking about getting wireless broadband but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, then all will be explained in this guide to wireless broadband.

What is 4G and 5G home broadband?

4G and 5G home broadband is a form of internet connection that runs on the same mobile networks you have on your phone, rather than the fibre cable network.

As far as the user is concerned, this type of broadband works in the same way as any other type of wireless home broadband. You still get a router that you set up somewhere in your house, and you connect all your devices to it to get online. The only difference is that you don't need to plug the router into your phone line because the signal comes from the 4G or 5G mobile network instead.

What this means is that availability, speed and performance are determined by how close you are to the nearest cell towers rather than your nearest street cabinet, which is the case with most fibre broadband services.

Depending on the provider, you can expect 4G broadband speeds to average around 25 to 35Mb, which is roughly in line with an entry level fibre service. More than 95% of the UK population can access the 4G network from at least one provider, although home broadband services are not yet available everywhere.

The 5G network is still quite new, and so coverage is very patchy. Even in the well over 100 towns and cities where it has been launched, it still isn't available in every area of those towns and cities. If you can get it, you can expect download speeds of over 150Mb - faster than most fibre broadband plans. The speeds will increase in future, too. 5G is likely to play a big part in the plans to bring gigabit-capable broadband to the whole of the UK.

The pros and cons of 4G or 5G home broadband

The main benefit to 4G and 5G broadband is convenience. It's available in a lot of rural areas where the fibre infrastructure may be lacking. It also doesn't require any setup or installation. You can get it up and running the day you sign up if you need to, and you don't need a landline either.

And because it isn't tethered to your phone line, or the local physical infrastructure, it's a whole lot easier to take with you if you move house. As long as you get good coverage where you are, you're set.

The main downside is that it can often be more expensive than a comparable fibre broadband deal, so it's important that you shop around to find the best deal. 4G is also slower than many fibre options, so it might be right for more demanding households. 5G doesn't have the same problem, although it isn't available to most people right now.

Is wireless broadband the same as Wi-Fi?

Wireless broadband and Wi-Fi are both forms of wireless technology that were designed to make connecting to the internet easier.

Neither require wires and allow you to connect to the internet. This can include the wireless broadband routers and modems you use to connect to the Wi-Fi, or a wireless internet service that your modem connects to.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the same thing.

Wi-Fi networking is the technology that lets us get internet access or share files without running cables around our homes.

Wireless broadband can be a way for internet service providers to deliver internet access without having a fixed line connected to your home. That can be useful if you live in a very remote area that doesn’t have access to a fixed line network, or you want internet without a phone line.

Wi-Fi networking

When we use the term wireless broadband, we’re often referring to Wi-Fi networks, where a Wi-Fi router is used to provide internet and local network access to nearby devices without the use of wires.

Almost all broadband deals include a free Wi-Fi router, so you probably already have Wi-Fi in your home. And there are also thousands of public Wi-Fi hotspots found in restaurants, pubs, and other locations around the UK that you can often use for free internet access.

But the broadband connection itself probably isn’t wireless and it’s most likely supplied via a telephone line, fibre optic cable, or Virgin Media network cable.

To learn more about Wi-Fi and how to use it, we have a comprehensive guide to Wi-Fi which goes into a lot more detail. 

Wireless routers

To use Wi-Fi at home, you will need a Wi-Fi router. This not only acts as a gateway to the internet but also hosts a local network and broadcasts a wireless network signal that any compatible, and authorised, device can use to access the broadband or share data over the network.

While you can buy your own Wi-Fi router, they are usually included for free with a new broadband deal.

Wi-Fi is enormously helpful as it’s so easy to set up and use, and means we can get internet without having cables running everywhere. But there are some downsides too.

• Internet and network - what’s the difference?

  In the context of home broadband, a network is the Local Area Network in your home. You’ll also see it referred to as a LAN. It’s what we use to share devices, files, and internet access. When you connect to Wi-Fi at home you’re connected to your home network. Using the network hosted by your Wi-Fi router you can do things like access a printer from another room, swap files between computers, stream music and videos, or play games over the network.

  The internet is a network of networks, which provides access to a vast number of devices and resources around the world. In general, your home network and the wider internet are kept separate from each other for security reasons. You don’t want just anyone from the wider internet getting in, after all. But your tech will make an exception when a specific device or service needs to go into or out of your home network.

Wireless broadband and wireless ISPs

Wireless broadband may also be used to refer to wireless ISPs aka WISPs. These deliver internet access with a wireless connection instead of a using a fixed-line.

The name wireless broadband doesn’t refer to a specific technology as WISPs can use different methods to provide their services.

If you’re interested in getting internet from a WISP, you might encounter terms like FWA, mobile broadband or satellite broadband. But what do these mean in the context of home broadband, and what are their differences?

What is fixed wireless broadband?

Fixed wireless broadband (FWB) brings fast internet access to rural areas that lack the necessary infrastructure for other broadband services.

FWB is offered by smaller, often local providers, and coverage is quite patchy. There are numerous complications that affect the rollout and access to the services.

To provide fixed wireless broadband, the provider needs to install masts in the town or village, which demands a certain level of interest from local residents. Each individual household also needs to have a receiver installed on their property, which adds to the price. Furthermore, there needs to be line of sight access between the receiver and mast. Even properties in areas of good coverage are not guaranteed a connection for precisely this reason.

The speeds it can deliver vary wildly. Some services can rival the speeds of standard broadband, but in the most remote areas they can be considerably slower. We would usually only recommend fixed wireless broadband where there are no other options.

There are many providers of fixed wireless broadband. These include Quickline, which covers parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern England, and WiSpire, which has installed masts on church spires to bring internet access to some Norfolk villages.

How you can use public Wi-Fi hotspots (and where to find them)

Wi-Fi isn’t limited to the home. An increasing number of shops and businesses are offering Wi-Fi access to their customers, and some of the UK’s largest broadband providers have tens of thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots their subscribers can use for free.

BT Wi-Fi is the largest network, with over five million hotspots. It is free to BT Broadband and BT Mobile users, and bundled on some EE pay monthly deals. Anyone else can access it through pay as you go or pre-pay tariffs.

BT Wi-Fi is primarily provided by utilising a secure segment of home users' broadband connections, allowing their network to range into millions of residential locations. It’s also available in premium business locations including like John Lewis and Hilton Hotels. Click here to find more hotspots in your region.

Sky Wi-Fi, also known as The Cloud, is free to Sky Broadband customers. Pricing for non-customers is set on a venue by venue basis, and is often free if the venue chooses to pick up the tab. The Cloud hotspots can be found at Wetherspoons pubs and KFC restaurants, among many other locations. Use the Sky Wi-Fi hotspot map to find nearby locations.

O2 Wi-Fi is free for everyone - just register and sign in. Hotspots are found in places such as McDonalds, Costa Coffee and Argos. O2 customers get the O2 Wi-Fi Extra app that automatically signs you in to hotspots without the need to register every time.

Virgin Media also runs its own smaller Wi-Fi network. It's most significant for bringing Wi-Fi to 150 London Underground stations, which customers of EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three can also access for free.

• Is public Wi-Fi secure?

  Open public Wi-Fi hotspots are a lot less secure than your home Wi-Fi, because they don't use encryption.

  In order to keep the hotspots open and accessible they are not password-protected, so anyone can connect to the network. This means the data you send and receive is unencrypted, leaving it open to being intercepted and read by anyone connected to the same hotspot.

  Most websites now use their own encrypted connections which make your browsing safe - look for a padlock icon in your browser, or https:// in the address bar. However, you shouldn't take this as a sign of complete safety if you're using an open Wi-Fi connection.

  For this reason, you should only use public Wi-Fi for general web use, not for things like banking or shopping.

  Wi-Fi in hotels, restaurants and shops is more likely to be secured, and therefore safer to use. In short, if you need a password to connect to the network then it has some level of security in place. If you can connect without one, then there’s no protection. A form asking for your email address before you can connect is not a guarantee of security.

  If using the hotspot in your local coffee shop is part of your daily routine, there are steps you can take to increase your security levels. A VPN (virtual private network) client is an app that encrypts all of the data traffic that passes between your computer and the internet. Hotspot Shield is a good example of a VPN client, and has free versions for Windows and Mac computers, plus iOS and Android mobile devices.

• How to create your own portable hotspot

  If you need to access the internet on your laptop, but there’s no Wi-Fi hotspot nearby, you can create your own portable hotspot with your smartphone or mobile broadband device. This is called tethering.

  Using the Personal Hotspot feature on an iPhone and the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot feature on Android, you can turn your phone into a wireless router. You connect your laptop to it in the same way as you would connect to any other hotspot, and access the internet via your phone’s data connection.

  Not all mobile networks allow tethering. The larger ones generally do, but not on all contract types and often with usage limits.

  If you need to use mobile Wi-Fi heavily, then look for mobile broadband deals with a portable hotspot device. This is a small wireless router with integrated SIM card - your internet access comes via a mobile network rather than home broadband. Devices come in different form factors from easily pocketable compact models to those designed to work in your car. Many support the latest network standards including double speed 4G from EE, as well as 5G if you're in a coverage area.

  Remember, though, that mobile data is a lot more expensive and the allowances are smaller. Unless you have no other option, these should be for occasional or business use when out of the home, not as a replacement for a proper broadband service.

5G

Mobile broadband can be used at home in place of a fixed-line service. If you live somewhere that a fixed-line service isn’t available, this can be a great option.

Any mobile broadband service would work, so long as you have a strong signal. If you plan to switch to mobile broadband, make sure you choose a package that’s been specifically designed for home use and it comes with unlimited data. You can visit our guide to using mobile broadband at home if you'd like to know more.

5G mobile internet can be faster than many home broadband services, so might actually be a better choice for you.

• 'A quick guide to 5G Home Broadband'

Satellite broadband

Rather than relying upon transmitters on the ground, satellite broadband uses orbiting relays to provide broadband access via dishes on people’s homes

Satellite broadband’s greatest strength is its ability to work anywhere within the very large coverage footprint, so even the most remote homes can get reasonably fast internet. But the distance between the dishes and the satellites also means that latency can be a problem.

If this is something that interests you, we have a guide to satellite broadband that goes into more detail.

Should I get fixed-line or wireless broadband?

We recommend that most customers choose a fixed-line, fibre broadband package if one is available. These are reliable and affordable deals that almost everyone can get.

Wireless broadband ISPs tend to fill a niche, covering gaps in the fixed-line networks. If you find that normal broadband access is very slow or non-existent, then a WISP may be the ideal solution.

There are a few reasons to choose wireless over fixed-line if both are available. A WISP does have the advantage of not needing a telephone line or cable, so may be preferable if you can’t get or don’t want a phone line. But installation, setup, and running costs may be higher than the price of fixed-line broadband, even including phone line rental.

Frequently Asked Questions about wireless broadband

• I just want Wi-Fi at home. Do I need to buy wireless broadband?

  It’s not necessary to choose a wireless ISP in order to use Wi-Fi in your home.

  To get Wi-Fi at home, you only need a Wi-Fi router, which is almost always included with a broadband deal at no extra cost.

  Our guide to setting up Wi-Fi can help you get started. We also have a beginner’s introduction to Wi-Fi and a guide to buying your own Wi-Fi router.

• Who offers wireless broadband?

  There aren’t as many wireless providers compared to the vast choice of fixed-line home broadband providers, but you should still be able to find something to fit your needs.

  Wireless ISPs will usually be found serving a small area, often focusing on rural communities, but there are WISPs offering national coverage too.

  Some WISPS include Quickline who use a mix of fibre lines and 5G tech to provide some wireless broadband up in the North of England and Scotland as well some of Wales. There’s also WiSpire in Norfolk that uses church spires and existing masts to connect people in rural locations to the internet.

  If mobile broadband is something you’re interested in, then look into mobile and broadband providers such as Vodafone, EE, and Three.

• Can I use Wi-Fi hotspots for wireless broadband?

  It might be tempting to use a public hotspot instead of paying for home broadband. But if a hotspot is a free public service offered by a pub, café, restaurant or library, it’s intended for use by customers and visitors. So you shouldn’t use it as your personal broadband service.

  You should also remember that there are also security issues with public Wi-Fi that could put you at risk from hackers.

  If you want to use a public hotspot, there are paid public hotspot networks you can use in place of a regular broadband connection. They can be reasonably good value and offer lots of flexibility. But remember that you’re only getting a wireless internet connection with no control over the router, no option for a faster and more stable wired network connection, and no guarantee of speed.

• Is Wi-Fi secure?

  There are issues you need to be aware of when using Wi-Fi, though it’s fairly easy to configure a router with a basic level of security, which is all a typical home user should need. 

  Your home Wi-Fi network should always be password-protected, and you should set a unique password for the admin account which controls access to the router’s settings. 

  Read our guide to securing Wi-Fi for more help.

• Is wireless broadband secure?

  In general, wireless broadband is no more secure or insecure than any other type of internet connection.

  The threats you face will most likely be the same ones facing any other internet user, so you should take the usual precautions. You should use strong passwords and never send or store sensitive data with sites and services that aren’t encrypted. 

  While getting your broadband service from a wireless transmission does theoretically open up the possibility that the signal could be intercepted, the reality is that this isn’t something a regular user should ever have to worry about. If you’re at risk of being deliberately targeted by hackers or government agencies capable of pulling off such an attack, then you need to seek the advice of professional security specialists.

• How fast is Wi-Fi?

  The speed of a Wi-Fi connection depends primarily on the Wi-Fi standard supported by both the router and the connected device. Though you need to remember that broadband speeds are also impacted by factors such as signal strength and how many other devices are using the network.

  There’s a standard referred to as Wi-Fi 6 that theoretically has a transmission speed of up to 10Gbps. But in practice, you’ll find it’s much slower than that.

  If you have any reasonably modern Wi-Fi router supporting Wi-Fi 5, then your Wi-Fi connection can probably send data at a higher speed than your broadband service.

  For more information about Wi-Fi speeds and standards, read our beginner’s guide to Wi-Fi.

• How fast is wireless broadband?

  The speed of wireless broadband varies wildly depending on the technology.

  Many wireless broadband providers advertise a download speed of around 30Mb though some can offer up to 100Mb, or even faster. Satellite broadband usually offers between 30-50Mb, with some offering 100Mb+. And the latest 5G mobile broadband connections can deliver more than 500Mb, though they typically average around 100-150Mb.

Expert Summary

Wireless broadband is something that can mean very different things depending on the context. Most often, when we’re talking wireless broadband it’s referencing home Wi-Fi. If you’re just interested in Wi-Fi for all your devices, then a fixed-line broadband deal with a free Wi-Fi router is what you need. We suggest you go with a fibre broadband package for the best speeds. Use our postcode checker to see what’s available in your area.

However, wireless broadband can also refer to broadband where the internet connection itself doesn’t use wires. The most common of these will be mobile or Wi-Fi internet, though there are also satellite broadband packages. Wireless internet can offer decent speeds, and you can get them even in areas that you can’t get fixed-line broadband. So if you live somewhere rural where a fixed-line isn’t possible, these are great options.

If you need more guidance on wireless broadband, then you can contact us for further help.