Need assistance with difference in Wi-fi connections and plans eg: wi-fi cable and ADSL-2, Sue
11/08/2011
Hi Sue,
Here's a short summary of the different types of plans and what they mean.
Note that any of the plans on these different types of broadband can also be Wi-Fi. All you need for a Wi-Fi (a wireless network within your home or office) is a Wi-Fi router.
The very short version is this: we generally recommend ADSL2+. It's fast, relatively cheap and there is plenty of data available. Plans are available from 1GB to unlimited.
Cable: Broadband through a coaxial cable, rather than through the copper phone wires. Cable can be used as a phone line and for Foxtel as well as for broadband. Speeds can be very fast on cable, up to 30Mbps or more, but cable is only available in some areas. There are fewer cable providers than ADSL2+ providers.
For cable plans, give Optus a call on 1300 137 897.
ADSL2+: Broadband through the phone lines, up to 24Mbps. There is lots of competition between providers for ADSL2+, so plans are relatively cheap compared to ADSL and cable. As ADSL2+ connections use a phone line, you will need an active phone service, unless you go for Naked DSL.
For ADSL2+ plans, check our best ADSL2+ plans page or call us on 1300 106 571.
Naked DSL: Broadband through the phone line, at ADSL2+ speeds of up to 24Mbps, but without an active phone service. Some providers require new customers to already have an active phone service (already paying line rental to a phone provider) in order to set up Naked DSL, while others can set it up from an inactive line.
If you want Naked DSL and you do not currently pay line rental, try iiNet on 1300 106 571.
ADSL: Broadband through the phone line, up to speeds of 8Mbps. ADSL is an older version of ADSL2+ and therefore slower. However, ADSL2+ is not available in every location, especially rural areas. ADSL plans are usually sold in several different speeds, including 256kbps, 512kbps, 1,500kbps and 8,000kbps. We don't recommend going below a 1,500kbps speed as anything less would be too slow to do much on the internet.
For ADSL plans, check our best ADSL plans page.
Mobile broadband: Broadband through the mobile phone towers. This type of broadband is suitable for people who need broadband on the move but do not require much data. It's not suited to home broadband users who want to download large files at high speed.
For mobile broadband plans, check our best mobile broadband plans page.
Hope this helps,
Sarah
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