Broadband ISPs
GUIDE

Other Broadband Connections: Satellite, Radio and More

Description: While phone line and cable broadband connections are the most popular among everyday internet users, there are other options available. Read on to find out more.

If you live in a remote area there is every chance that you might have to think a little more creatively when it comes to getting a high speed internet connection. In any event the most popular methods of getting a residential broadband connection - cable and DSL (digital subscriber line) - aren't available or ideal on every occasion.

That's when you need to look elsewhere, and one of the alternatives you can try is a satellite broadband connection. In this case you will need to get a satellite dish installed onto the roof of your home, so that you can receive your broadband signal via satellites up in space, which receive the signal from the company you are getting it from.

It's more expensive than cable or a xDSL line, but in a situation where finding a nearby provider is difficult, it can provide an excellent solution.

Secondly there is radio broadband, although this is quite rare in the scheme of things and is generally only a realistic alternative if you live somewhere extremely remote, or in a small town or location which isn't well served by any other kind of access. It works via an aerial mounted on your roof, which picks up a signal via radio waves and transmits it to your computer.

While the radio waves mean that your connection will always be on, you are limited speed wise, and it will be among the slowest of broadband connections available. However, in a situation where the fastest options simply aren't available, radio broadband could offer a real lifeline.

Finally there is wireless broadband, which could overtake the current market leaders - cable and xDSL - if advances in technology make it a little more versatile and robust than it is at the moment. If this is the case, we could all soon be connecting to the internet from the most remote places in America.