Broadband is the most common form of high speed internet access – but what is broadband, really? It’s the internet you probably have at home, and is an always connected link between you and your internet provider (AT&T, Spectrum or one of the many others).
The word “broadband” refers to wide-bandwidth data transmission, which basicaly means you can shove a lot of data down the connection, making it high speed.
Broadband vs Wi-Fi
Broadband isn’t the same as Wi-Fi. Broadband refers to the connection coming into your house, whereas Wi-Fi is the technology used to wirelessly beam the internet connection in your home.
What is broadband: How to get broadband
There are a few different ways you can get broadband to your home.
If you live in a city, one of the most common ways is via cable – literally a physical cable into your house, which you then plug into a modem and router to create a Wi-Fi network for your phone and other devices.
There’s also fibre-optic, which is a more advanced type of cable that’s much, much faster. However, it’s only available in selected areas.
There’s also an older cable technology called ADSL, and satellite broadband – which beams your signal from space.
