One of the best known mobile broadband services is Wi-Fi. To connect to the internet using Wi-Fi your computer must have a wireless card. Most modern laptops come with a Wi-Fi card already installed. A lot of people have a wireless network set up in their homes that utilizes Wi-Fi to allow you to connect wirelessly to the internet from anywhere in your home.

If you need to travel Wi-Fi connections are also available in many other places like coffee stores, airports and restaurants. These are known as Wi-Fi Hotspots. Although some of these establishments may offer you a free Wi-Fi Connection, it is more likely that you will have to pay to use this service. Most places that offer Wi-Fi will be able to offer you a one time charge for a single timed session online. This can get expensive if you are using HotSpots a lot.

If you are planning to use Wi-Fi hotspots a lot then the best why to go is to pay a monthly subscription. There are many subscription based hotspot providers that work with many partners so make sure you check what establishments you can use your account at. Wi-Fi can offer very fast data rates but it limited to to small coverage areas. Researching and knowing where you will be to use your Wi-Fi account can save headaches in the future.

For a truer mobile internet experience many cellphone providers now offer mobile broadband connections. These mobile broadband providers allow you to connect to the internet using existing cell phone networks. To connect your laptop to the wireless internet you will need a special "Air Card" for your computer. The biggest benefit of mobile broadband is that you can connect to the internet anywhere you can get a a signal on your phone. This gives you a huge coverage area compared to Wi-Fi hotspots.

Mobile broadband services are still in their infancy in America. A lot of providers offer a wireless internet service but the best broadband speeds are only available on updated 3G networks. These new networks are growing but be sure to check coverage areas to know what kind of connection speeds you can expect. If you are using a smaller cell phone provider you may be limited to only their smaller regional network. If you are planning to travel a lot make sure you are able to roam across partner networks. Some providers may even offer you international access if you travel abroad a lot.

The speeds of wireless internet are best on the the newest generation of cellular networks so you can see dramatic changes in speeds when moving around from cell to cell. You can purchase the hardware needed to connect to the internet through your mobile broadband provider and some will let you use pre-purchased equipment. You can shop around for deals on hardware but as most providers require a contract they will often give you the hardware cheaper for signing up.

As you can see wireless broadband internet give you the freedom to connect to the internet away from home. Imagine going to work in the park instead of the office on a beautiful sunny day! As the technology grows and gets better it may not be too far off before you can go anywhere in the world and get a decent internet connection.

We have only highlighted the pros and cons of Wi-Fi and Mobile broadband here. In the future we may also see exciting technologies like WiMAX come to fruition that has the ability to close the gaps between Wi-Fi and cell based systems. Whatever happens it will be good to get away from the desk a bit more.