A poll from BroadbandChoices.co.uk shows that ignorance amongst British broadband users means that many of us are unnecessarily terrified of going wireless – shying away from the advantages it offers many consumers.
BroadbandChoices.co.uk believes that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are causing much of this confusion. They should stop marketing ?wireless broadband?, or WiFi, as if it is a unique service, separate from the fixed-line packages many users are more familiar with.
?It would appear that ISP?s are helping to create these misconceptions that stop customers from taking advantage of the benefits of wireless – especially during the summer months when they could be online while topping up their tan in the garden,? says Michael Phillips, product director of BroadbandChoices.co.uk.
?The industry really needs to make this clearer to their customers. Consumers should have more choice about how they use their broadband package,? continues Phillips.
Once installed, WiFi allows users to get rid of their unsightly wires and Ethernet cables. They can then connect multiple PCs, laptops, PDAs and consoles to a single broadband connection, and work or surf the Internet from any room in the house, on multiple PCs owned by various members of the family, or even from the garden.
96 per cent of poll respondents cited unfounded reasons for not having wireless broadband due to their misconceptions of WiFi. The top three reasons for not having wireless broadband were:
1. ?I am worried about dealing with the technicalities of wireless broadband? – 44%
2. ?I am worried that my bank details may be at risk? – 27%
3. ?My supplier does not offer a wireless broadband package? – 25%
Exploding technical myths of WiFi
Not feeling confident about installing a wireless router in the home was the biggest reason for not going wireless.
Phillips advises: ?Wireless routers are easy to set up. Also, if you get one direct from your Internet Service Provider, which most of us will, it will arrive preconfigured with all the right settings. Going wireless is not at all complex – it?s as easy as plugging your phone cable in when using a traditional fixed-line broadband service.
Bank details are safe
?Neither is there any more risk of bank details going astray with wireless than with a fixed service. People must assume that because it?s ?wireless? that data just floats off into the ether which simply isn?t the case. People shouldn?t be scared of WiFi – they just need to set up the right security, which is easy to do and most routers now have inbuilt encryption which is far harder to hack into than the older services,? continued Phillips.
Providers don?t offer wireless packages
Respondents also seem very confused about what wireless is, thinking that they had to take out a special wireless package when in reality the service from the ISP is the same whether fixed-line or WiFi. It?s up to the end user how they connect to a broadband service – whether via the fixed phone line, through a wireless router or card.
?This misconception could be down to ISPs giving the impression that they are offering a ?wireless package? when they are just providing a normal broadband connection with a wireless router as part of the deal. Anyone with broadband can have a wireless connection – they just need the right router, and you can either get this from your provider or from any computer hardware retailer,? concludes Phillips.
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