What is "Broadband"?

The term "broadband" is now often used to mean any high-speed internet access service. Usually provided by ISPs (Internet Service Providers), broadband connects your residence/business/school to the internet using a range of technologies, but normally using fibre-optic cables.

These days, FTTP (Fibre-to-the-Premises) services are usually the best option, if it is available in the area.

For the broadband to be usable, a network router must be plugged in at the customer's end so that it can route traffic, destined for either the internal (local) network, or the external network (the internet), to the correct place.

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is a wireless technology that is usually used to connect wireless devices to a local network. The device distributing the Wi-Fi signal (an "access point") is often then connected to a broadband router, which allows the wireless devices to access the Internet.

Sometimes, or in almost all cases for residential services, the router and the Wi-Fi access 

point are actually the same device doing both jobs.

Fun fact: Wi-Fi is just named Wi-Fi! Shortened from the organisation that develops the technology, the Wi-Fi Alliance, it is not an abbreviation or acronym as many believe.

Why we believe there is an important difference...

It is common these days for the term Wi-Fi to mean both the broadband service and Wi-Fi signal at the same time. This can cause confusion when supporting customers and users. 

For example, a user may say "my Wi-Fi is intermittent", or "the Wi-Fi won't connect".

In both cases, it could be that the user means the broadband service as a whole is the problem, or the Wi-Fi signal/device (by itself) is the problem, or both! This means further diagnosis is required.

Luckily, this can be done with a few simple questions, such as, "are you able to connect to the Wi-Fi, but receiving a 'no internet connection' message?", or "can you still see the Wi-Fi network on your device's Wi-Fi list?"

We especially use this distinguishment for large networks, such as University halls or a school. This is because the router is often a wires-only device, and the Wi-Fi signal is served by access points that are completely separate devices, connected back to the router via cables and network switching.