With competition at its highest yet, broadband suppliers are clamouring for our business at the moment but do you understand the jargon? It’s a complicated and technical subject and it’s easy to be baffled by the science. Do you know your wireless hotspots from your webcams? What’s MSN? How do you choose a media players? What’ the difference between ADSL, cable and satellite broadband? Peter Burns tells you clearly and concisely about broadband and wireless networking – starting at choosing a supplier, right through to protecting your PC from viruses, working with instant messaging, file sharing, downloading music and configuring email.

Before you start though, it’s worth doing a broadband comparison to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money. Make sure you check the broadband speed and if there are any download limits imposed on the tariff. Most broadband tariffs are more than sufficient for everyday browsing and basic downloading – suppliers tend to be on a par with each other. If you’re a heavy user who downloads movies and music on a regular basis, this book will tell you which questions to ask before you sign-up.

Understanding wireless networking is crucial if you’re setting it up in your home. You’ll learn about routers and wireless adapters and how to configure an infrastructure or ad-hoc network.  Burns also explains about wireless on the move; how hotspots work, which gadgets support wi-fi and how to get online if you’re not in a hotspot zone.

Burns is Internet and eCommerce Marketing Manager for Waitrose (incidentally, Waitrose.com broadband is the UK’s only broadband service to give all its profits to charity.) He has also worked for Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and ITN. If you’ve got broadband and want to know more about wireless networking, this is the book to buy.