Wi-Fi or Broadband? What’s the difference?
Here is a story you are probably familiar with: A few months into the pandemic and the novelty and thrill of being able to function from a home office is slowly wearing off. Acceptance of “this is our way of life now” is setting in and flatmates Susan and Clara are suddenly finding themselves in a position where they have to make many technical choices, something they were not faced with before. Susan heads a sales team and is constantly required to meet and interact with clients through multiple platforms ranging from Zoom to Google meet. Clara is part student, part teacher spending 6 to 8 hours a day on Google Classrooms. The first argument started with the all-important choice of Wi-Fi or Broadband.
It is a common practice to use these terms interchangeably and it is important to get a basic understanding of what each term means before making the right choice. Wi-Fi achieves the transmission of data using radio frequencies and signals. This is done wirelessly. Broadband, on the other hand is high speed internet used for data transmission. Usually done using a cable connected to a modem. Broadband can also be used wirelessly by connecting devices to the modem using Wi-Fi. However, for applications like streaming and gaming where high speeds are required, it is most effective to have the device connected through a cable to the modem or router.
Coming back to the Wi-Fi vs Broadband debate, let’s look at a few points in favour of each of these choices from Clara’s point of view and Susan’s too:
- To Clara, who was required to shuttle between the university and home sometimes, having the convenience and mobility associated with a Wi-Fi connection was important.
- The lower costs associated with Wi-Fi and not having to deal with wires were also points Clara put forth in favour.
- Susan favoured speed and performance, given the demands of her job and was all for a broadband connection which is fast, secure and consistent.
- Susan needed seamless 4K streaming for her presentations,
- Both Clara and Susan enjoyed live gaming over the weekend and speed mattered.
The debate went on for a while before they decided to actually research available options to make the choice. The moral of this story: There is always a solution for every need, given the speed with which technology is adapting to the changed situation!
SMOAD recognises these challenges all too well and offers tailor-made solutions for needs like these, plans which are designed with the specific and diverse needs of clients in mind. Here are some of the advantages, including cost effectiveness, of choosing a WFH plan. These plans come with the SMOAD BEETLE or SPIDER high speed routers with 4G LTE + broadband aggregation capabilities for uninterrupted high speed internet connectivity with failover and the convenience of being connected on the go. App prioritisation, centralized control and enhanced security features are added advantages.
They could both have what they wanted in one single solution; it was a win-win!
