Editing Internet access (section)

=====Wireless ISP=====
[[File:Wi-Fi Logo.svg|thumb|150px|Wi-Fi logo]]
[[Wireless Internet service provider]]s (WISPs) operate independently of [[mobile phone operator]]s. WISPs typically employ low-cost IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi radio systems to link up remote locations over great distances ([[Long-range Wi-Fi]]), but may use other higher-power radio communications systems as well, such as microwave and WiMAX.
[[File:WI-FI Range Diagram.svg|thumb|Wi-Fi range diagram]]
Traditional 802.11a/b/g/n/ac is an unlicensed omnidirectional service designed to span between 100 and 150&nbsp;m (300 to 500&nbsp;ft). By focusing the radio signal using a [[directional antenna]] (where allowed by regulations), 802.11 can operate reliably over a distance of many km(miles), although the technology's line-of-sight requirements hamper connectivity in areas with hilly or heavily foliated terrain. In addition, compared to hard-wired connectivity, there are security risks (unless robust security protocols are enabled); data rates are usually slower (2 to 50 times slower); and the network can be less stable, due to interference from other wireless devices and networks, weather and line-of-sight problems.<ref>{{cite book|title=Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnMunBGVDuMC&q=cwna+official+study+guide|author=Joshua Bardwell|author2=Devin Akin|page=418|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|year=2005|edition=Third|isbn=978-0-07-225538-6|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109135240/https://books.google.com/books?id=QnMunBGVDuMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cwna+official+study+guide&hl=en&ei=EJaXTpSaFMPSiALTu4HCDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA|archive-date=2017-01-09}}</ref>

With the increasing popularity of unrelated consumer devices operating on the same 2.4&nbsp;GHz band, many providers have migrated to the [[List of WLAN channels#5 GHz (802.11a/h/j/n/ac/ax)|5GHz ISM band]]. If the service provider holds the necessary spectrum license, it could also reconfigure various brands of off the shelf Wi-Fi hardware to operate on its own band instead of the crowded unlicensed ones. Using higher frequencies carries various advantages:
* usually regulatory bodies allow for more power and using (better-) directional antennae,
* there exists much more bandwidth to share, allowing both better throughput and improved coexistence,
* there are fewer consumer devices that operate over 5&nbsp;GHz than over 2.4&nbsp;GHz, hence fewer interferers are present,
* the shorter wavelengths don't propagate as well through walls and other structures, so much less interference leaks outside of the homes of consumers.

Proprietary technologies like [[Motorola Canopy]] & Expedience can be used by a WISP to offer wireless access to rural and other markets that are hard to reach using Wi-Fi or WiMAX. There are a number of companies that provide this service.<ref>[http://www.wispa.org/directories/member-directory "Member Directory"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220031021/http://www.wispa.org/Directories/Member-Directory |date=2017-02-20 }}, Wireless Internet Service Providers’ Association (WISPA), accessed 5 May 2012</ref>