Everyone knows what wireless internet can do in your home. Instead of being tied down to a wall near an Internet cable, you can freely move about your own home knowing that every square foot has Internet accessibility. The same can be said about 4G services that can take wireless outside the walls of your home.

A 4G network provider, like CLEAR who built the nation’s first 4G network, can give you internet that is like a quiet shadow – following you wherever you go. Unlike a shadow, a wireless network like CLEAR won’t leave you when the sun sets. Whether you need to finish up a business proposal at your son’s little league game or send your aunt a quick happy birthday email when you are in the lobby of your chiropractor’s office, a 4G network is all you need to get on with your life.

Instead of hotspots that just cover the surface area of your favorite local coffee shop, you could get connected to a network that turns entire cities into hotspots. City-wide hotspots will change the way you use the internet. You can pay your bills while waiting in the carpool line or watch a movie with your kids out in the backyard – even look up a recipe online while you are looking for the ingredients in the grocery store. You can find out more about wireless internet for laptops, how it differs from mobile internet and how it will all make a huge difference in the way you get online.

WiMAX and Wi-Fi take the next step in wireless internet

WiMAX shares the same prefix as wi-fi, and some of the same capabilities. Just like the nation’s first 4G network, a company called CLEAR also built the nation’s first WiMAX network. WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. It has a signal that is essentially the same as a wi-fi signal, and covers areas up to 3,000 miles. WiMAX technology is just another step up on the ladder of wireless internet, and changing the way you communicate.

But here we’re not talking about mobile Internet as it relates to mobile phones. This post is about mobile Internet for your laptop.

Mobile Internet vs. mobile phone Internet

Let’s first understand the difference between the two. Mobile phone Internet is for use on your smartphone– downloading apps, surfing the Web, sending emails, etc.– from anywhere in your carrier’s footprint. Mobile Internet, on the other hand, refers to the ability to use your laptop in a carrier’s footprint.

So what’s the big deal between the two? Let me paint a picture for you. Let’s say you’re on the train into work and need to adjust a PowerPoint presentation and email it to your team before you get there. Are you really going to edit a PowerPoint presentation on a phone? No. And are you really going to send a large PowerPoint presentation with the email client on your phone? Most smartphones still use 3G, so sending a large attachment like that could take a while.

If you had your laptop, you could edit your presentation as you normally would without sacrificing the ability to email it over a fast network.

How does mobile wireless Internet actually work?

It requires a carrier. However, this doesn’t necessary mean a cellphone carrier like Verizon or AT&T. There are other 4G carriers like CLEAR that offer mobile Internet options. These options usually include hotspot devices for creating your own wireless Internet connection, or USB modems that click into your laptop and give you an Internet connection while you’re in the network.

If you’re interested in wireless Internet that’s also mobile, you should definitely check out a technology called WiMAX. WiMAX is basically the same thing as wi-fi, but it’s a step up. Instead of giving you a signal at a small level (i.e. a coffee shop or hotel), WiMAX creates city-sized wireless Internet hotspots. This means no more searching for wi-fi signals. Just plug in your mobile Internet device and you’re good to go. WiMAX isn’t as widespread as wi-fi, but it covers a much larger area where it does exist.

Mobile Internet is the next phase of true take-it-with-you wireless Internet. You can enter your zip code into this site and you’ll be routed to wireless Internet Kansas City, for example. Find the provider in your area that’s right for you.

Let’s face it: hacking of personal information is a problem today. In 2011, the Sony brand was kicked in the teeth with a hacking scandal that exposed customer information. Then you have groups like Anonymous who have the capability to take down full websites – Amazon and The Department of Defense to name a couple.

While it hasn’t quite reached the level of computers, smartphone security is going to face some steep hills in 2012. This article explains how you can keep your data secure, and what the potential threats are when using a smartphone for things like e-commerce or banking.

How to keep your smartphone safe

If you have a smartphone, chances are it runs your life. It can be tempting to make fast decisions because of ease. Why wait until you get home to your computer to make a purchase when you can do it on your phone now? Here are some things to keep in mind:

Don’t lose it. Seems simple, right? But people lose their phones all the time. The easiest way to keep your phone secure is to always know where it is.

Remote wipe it if you lose it. You have the ability to remotely erase your phone’s contents if you lose it. You have to sign up for the ability to do this, but that usually just requires you to download a (free) app. For instance, Apple has an app called Find My iPhone that will not only track your phone if it’s lost, but let you clear the contents before it falls into the wrong hands.

Use your lock function to its maximum potential. Most phones let you control your password that opens your phone when you’re bringing it back from idle. Be sure to set your phone to always prompt a password when coming back from sleep. Change your password often.

Avoid unencrypted data transfers. Don’t bank on your phone on a public wi-fi signal because they’re unencrypted. Similarly, never text sensitive information. Texts are also unencrypted. What is encryption? Encryption essentially “locks” information so that it’s readable only to people possessing the “key.”

Smartphone security – the risks to you

By nature, Android users are usually more susceptible to security issues than iPhone users. This is because Android is an open-source operating system. Developers can upload their apps to the Android Market without having to get them verified. Apple operates the opposite way.

Be mindful of the apps you install and the settings you enable in them. Once an app is installed on your phone, it could potentially record your calls and texts, or get personal banking and credit card information.

Hackers can also hack into your phone and send thousands of texts, running up your bill.

As with wireless Internet providers like wireless Internet Houston, it’s important to choose a phone operating system that’s right for you. If you’re worried about potential danger, then iPhones seem to be less risky. However, you shouldn’t be too worried about having an Android if you’re cautious about how you use it.

The best way to ensure safety is to avoid banking and making purchases on your phone. Like e-commerce security on the Web, it will probably take a few years for smartphone security to be sure-fire.

So what are the different types of service you can get? In this article, we’ll talk about four.

Wireless Internet via DSL

DSL is the first option. It stands for “digital subscriber line.” DSL uses your phone line for Internet. Your phone line connects with your provider’s local office. For this reason, the closer you are to your provider, the faster your DSL service will be. That’s the big downside of DSL: its signal strength is dependent on your location.

Wireless Internet via your cable line

The second option is cable Internet. You guessed it – cable Internet uses your cable line. If your cable goes out, so does your Internet.

Cable is very popular today and is very common for apartment complexes and other high-population areas. The reason for this is that cable Internet providers can cover a large amount of customers in a small area.

Wireless Internet via a satellite dish

Satellite Internet is mostly used by people in rural areas, as it’s an alternative to the dial-up service they likely already have. It’s much faster than dial-up.

As you probably guessed, satellite Internet uses a satellite dish instead of a phone or cable line. This creates an always-on connection – one that can’t be interrupted when a line goes down.

Satellite is very easy to get. If you have a clear view of the southern sky and live in the continental U.S., chances are that you can get it.

Wireless Internet and mobile Internet

The fourth option, mobile, is quickly on the rise. The more we depend on our devices – whether they’re laptops, smartphones or tablets – the more we need to take them with us. How many times have you been faced with a situation of having to “make do” with your smartphone or tablet because you couldn’t get a connection on your laptop?

With mobile Internet, we’re not talking about smartphone Internet. We’re talking about take-it-with-you Internet for your laptop.

There are small devices called USB modems that you can purchase. Just plug it into your laptop’s USB port and you’re good to go. You’ll connect to your provider’s network – as long as you’re within the footprint – any time you need to get connected on your personal computer.

Mobile Internet is true wireless Internet. If you want to take your DSL, cable or satellite Internet to the next level, you’ll want to go with mobile Internet. Mobile Internet providers also offer in-home modems and other equipment, so you can still use your equipment when you’re not on-the-go.

Some potential benefits of WiMAX are that it:

• Could help us move away from sparse wi-fi hotspots and move toward larger wireless networks.
• Could prevent us from having to get wired connections (e.g. cable and DSL), which would save us money and offer more options for rural customers.
• Will likely come with broadband speeds, if not better.

Wireless Internet – how does WiMAX work?

A WiMAX signal essentially works the same as a wi-fi signal. There’s a tower that’s connected to the Internet. However, this tower has a much greater reach than a traditional wi-fi tower. Therefore, more people can access it. Some experts say that a WiMAX tower can cover up to 3,000 square miles. This would help reduce spotty coverage areas and eliminate no-coverage areas.

The other piece to the puzzle – how do people connect? It’s simple, really. Desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets all come with wireless receivers so they can connect instantly to a wi-fi signal. The only thing that would have to happen is for manufacturers to start adding WiMAX receivers to their devices. While this seems like a huge step, remember that WiMAX has a lot of potential. Therefore, it’s not at all unrealistic to think this could happen quickly.

How fast is wireless Internet with WiMAX?

The bigger question is about distance, not speed. WiMAX could technically offer faster speeds on paper, but once you start sharing bandwidth with other users, your speeds always decrease. As of now, it looks like WiMAX is hovering around the cable Internet arena. Therefore, you’ll still get broadband speed.

So why is distance the key thing? Distance is important because WiMAX is largely appealing due to its range. Since the towers have a further reach, they can reach many more people.

I’m still confused on the difference between wi-fi and WiMAX

Have you ever been without a wi-fi signal when you needed one? Or have you ever had to go somewhere specific just to get a connection? WiMAX could eliminate those annoyances. WiMAX greatly expands the range of a wireless signal.

The other big difference is how it can save you money. Let’s say you’re a rural customer and don’t have access to DSL or cable Internet. Your only options are likely satellite Internet or dial-up, and obviously nobody wants dial-up these days. WiMAX would eliminate the need for DSL or cable because it would essentially give you a wireless connection even if you’re out in the middle of nowhere.

Learn more about wireless Internet WiMAX on this site, and see how people in cities like Fairfax wireless Internet are already taking advantage of it.

A while back, Apple unveiled iCloud, an online storage facility for your music, emails, contacts, pictures and more. It seems simple, but there are some ins and outs that you have to figure out as you go. This article outlines how iCloud works and what you can do with it.

With the right wireless internet provider, you can ensure quick downloads and backups with iCloud. You can search wireless internet providers by zip code on this website.

Wireless internet and your personal iCloud space

iCloud will work on any of your Apple devices – iPad, iTouch, iPhone or Mac computer. If you’ve installed the latest operating system, iCloud will automatically install itself.

The simplest way to explain iCloud is that if you take a picture on your iPhone, it downloads automatically to your Mac. Similarly, if you add a person to your contacts on your iPad, it’ll update in your phone. It essentially syncs your devices’ content so you can pick up where you left off. Let’s say you take that picture on your iPhone. Instead of having to plug into your computer and transfer the file, iCloud transfers it automatically – right after you take it.

iCloud makes it easy to make sure all your devices have the same stuff on them. If you make an appointment in iCal on your Mac, it’ll remind you on your phone later on if you’re away from your Mac.

iCloud is free for every user, and comes with 5GB of storage space. However, you can always purchase more space if you need to.

• 10GB = $20/year
• 20GB = $40/year
• 50GB = $100/year

Wireless internet and iTunes Match

When reading about iCloud, you may have come across something called iTunes Match. iTunes Match will back up all your music in the cloud, and allow you to download any song from your library onto any of your devices.

By default, iCloud will store your iTunes-purchased songs in the cloud. However, you need iTunes Match if you want to store songs that you haven’t purchased from iTunes. Therefore, if you have a huge collection of CDs you’ve imported onto your computer via iTunes, you can add those to the cloud with iTunes Match for $24.99 a year.

iTunes Match will determine which songs in your library are sold in iTunes. If there’s a match, your song can be uploaded to iCloud.

One of the hidden benefits of iTunes Match is that your songs can be played at a higher bit rate. This means that even if you imported your songs into iTunes at one quality, iTunes Match can play them back at a higher quality.

This article goes into more detail about the specs you can expect to read about with various wireless internet providers.

Wireless internet terms and definitions

Broadband DSL (digital subscriber line)

• Broadband DSL uses a souped-up line that can handle voice and data simultaneously on the same line. The data is on the same line, but uses a frequency that’s undetectable to the human ear. You get a dedicated line to a central hub, but everyone shares the circuit that the hub uses. Also, the further out you are from the central hub, the weaker your signal.

Broadband cable

• Cable is shared among a “block” of users. Broadband cable providers like to settle in areas with apartments so they can cover a small portion on the map but get a lot of customers. Cable is oversubscribed by a ratio of 100:1. It’s like selling one ticket to 100 different people.

Bandwidth, latency and speed

• Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data you can send over a network.
• Latency is the amount of time it takes data to move across a network.
• Speed is determined by both bandwidth and latency.
• Real world example: Bandwidth is the speed limit on the highway, latency is the restrictions (traffic, construction, etc.), and speed is how fast the car was actually able to travel given those obstacles.

Wireless internet: bits and bytes

You’ve inevitably come across abbreviations like K, Kbps, Mbps, etc. These stand for bits and bytes, and different sizes of both depending on their prefix. When it’s a computer file, bytes refer to file size. When it’s bandwidth, bytes refer to speed.

Bytes

• B is for Byte, which is unit of storage that your computer uses to store information such as a word. “Cat” has three characters and therefore 3 Bytes of storage
• 1 Byte (1B) = 8 bits (8b)
• Files such as software programs, digital photos, and audio files (for MP3 players) are measured in Bytes. Internet speed is measured in bits per second.

When researching internet speeds, the approximate standard you can expect is:

• 10 Mbps download, 1Mbps upload – (around $30)
• 15 Mbps download, 1Mbps upload – (around $40)
• 30 Mbps download, 5 Mbps upload – (around $50)
• 50 Mbps download, 5 Mbps upload – (around $100)

However, because bandwidth is often shared, unless you go with the preferred provider on this site for cities like wireless internet District of Columbia, the actual speed you’ll get will be significantly less.

Wireless internet providers in your area

With wireless internet providers for laptops, you can get the solid connection you’ve been looking for. Enter your zip code on this site to learn more about wireless internet service in your area.

With the right wireless internet provider, you can get exactly what you’re looking for. It’s important to stay away from DSL and cable internet, though. Cable and DSL providers force you to share bandwidth with other users, slowing your connection speeds. The download and upload speeds these providers advertise don’t account for bandwidth traffic, so the actual speed you get is significantly lower.

What is wireless internet bandwidth?

Bandwidth is capacity. It’s the maximum amount of data you can send through a network or modem connection. The more users that are using bandwidth, the slower the connection is for each user.

Therefore, you’ll want what’s referred to as a “dedicated connection.”

Dedicated wireless internet for your small business

Coast to coast – from wireless internet Charlotte to wireless internet Portland – you can get the service you need to run a successful business.

By signing up with the preferred provider on this site, you can get a dedicated connection to the internet. Just enter your zip code on this page.

A dedicated connection means you won’t share bandwidth. Your connection won’t slow down because of other users, helping you focus on your customers instead of your internet.

How a dedicated connection works:

You may come across information about Tier 1, Tier 2, etc. networks. These networks are primarily used for larger businesses, and therefore come at a higher monthly price.

For small businesses, the best option is the preferred providers on this site. Your business will get access to a strong network, and you’ll get your own pipeline into that network that no one else has access to. Therefore, bandwidth is yours and yours alone. This increases the performance of your internet. You can’t get that with DSL and cable. Internet like this is best for small businesses with a few employees.

With the right wireless internet provider, you can enhance productivity at your small business.

Following everything that wireless can do is difficult. This article outlines three cool ways you can use wireless and mobile internet that you may not know about already.

Cool mobile internet and wireless uses: printing

You can buy printers today that let you print from almost anywhere. This prevents you from having to buy a printer for each room of your home, or from always having to walk your laptop back to the printer to plug in and print.

Various companies offer wireless docking stations that you can plug your printer into. You can then connect to this station with a wireless internet connection for the easiest printing you’ve ever done.

Cool mobile internet and wireless uses: wireless sync

The day before Apple cofounder Steve Jobs passed away, his successor led the unveiling of the new operating system iOS 5. One of the new iOS 5 features is called wireless sync. It lets you sync your device with iTunes via a wireless signal instead of having to actually plug in. With a fast wireless internet connection in your home, you can sync your devices seamlessly.

Cool mobile internet and wireless uses: finding your phone

Android and Apple both have support for “find my phone” features in case you lose your phone or other device. By using a wireless internet connection at your house, for example, you can quickly locate your phone on a map. You can also set a passcode so that a stranger can’t access your phone, or you can send a text message that could read, “This phone is lost. If you find it, please call — — —-.”

Mobile internet from USB modems

Wireless internet providers by zip code

However, there’s one key thing that accompanies all of this: actually getting a wireless internet signal. You can download apps for your devices that tell you where the nearest wi-fi connection is. One such app is “Free Wi-Fi.” However, you still have to worry about actually getting to that connection.

The alternative is to get a USB modem, which gives you a wireless internet connection on-the-go. Just plug it into your computer and take a wireless internet signal with you.

Enter your zip code at the wireless internet providers by zip code page for a deal on USB modems and other services.

Cyber Monday kicked off around 2005 when online retailers realized the power of e-commerce, specifically right after the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving triggers the beginning of the Christmas season, and thus the desire to get a head start on Christmas shopping.

The deals flowed like water and today they’re even more prevalent. 9 million people made a purchase on Cyber Monday in 2010, according to SoNot Retail and a variety of other sources like the BBB, Facebook and PayPal. Furthermore,

• Twice as many people shopped on a mobile device on Cyber Monday 2010 than 2009.
• The average transaction on Cyber Monday 2010 was $60.05.
• 5% of employers fired an employee for shopping online while at work. (Be careful when you shop!)

If you missed black Friday, this is your chance to take advantage of the best deals you’ll see before the holiday. Sites like Amazon, Best Buy, and the like are sure winners, but the truth is: Cyber Monday is everywhere. Whatever you’re looking for, you can probably find it at a discounted price somewhere on the Web.

Wireless internet deals across the Web

Cyber Monday isn’t just about televisions, speakers and toys. You can also get wireless internet deals. Be sure to check out deals from the providers mentioned on this site. You can even get a quote on this site from our preferred provider.

How exactly can wireless internet deals help me?

Wireless internet deals could reduce your monthly rates, equipment fees and more. Savings on monthly bills add up over the course of a year, so be sure to jump on this opportunity.

Check email, stream movies and surf the Web with precision and speed with wireless internet. Cyber Monday is the best time to get started with wireless internet, and the right deal can help you save money now and in the long run.

Subscribe to the wireless internet provider that’s right for you, but remember to get started quickly. The deal you want may be gone before you know it!