In message , KenK
writes:
Sorry, this isn't XP oriented but there are a lot of smart people here.

I have a 3G LG 440G cell phone. I'm seriously thinking of a smart phone.
I have CenturyLink DSL that I use with my computer for my internet
connection. I'd probably get CenturyLink wifi for the smart phone.

Despite what the service providers do their damnedest to make you
believe, they do _not_ provide wifi. Wifi is provided by the equipment
in your house - either (commonest these days) a router/MoDem with wifi
built in, or a separate wifi box attached to it. Of course, your service
provider may provide you with the router (most do, in UK anyway, and all
are ones with wifi built in). I give this longish paragraph because
there is no such thing as "CenturyLink wifi" (I assume CenturyLink is
your service provider); the wifi would come from a box in your home,
though that box might be _provided_ by CenturyLink.

Are the two related? Can I somehow use the DSL for the smart phone
connection or vice versa? The DSL is in a separate building adjacent to

A smartphone can use the internet via two routes: either cellular, via
the cellular network, or via wifi to something that is nearby and is
connected to an (A)DSL line. Using it via the cellular network is
usually more expensive: you either pay by the megabyte, or at least are
using up your monthly allowance if that's the sort of contract you have.
You can "turn mobile data off" to ensure that it only uses wifi, when in
range of something that provides wifi (your home, or a public wifi such
as a McDonalds, some public libraries, and so on). This is _separate_
from the voice (and texting) functions of the 'phone, which will still
use the cellular network. (Though if you install Skype or something
similar on the 'phone, you can use that via the wifi when you're in
range of it, thus getting your calls for free.)

my home; I don't have DSL in my home; I can't use it without the DSL

I'm a bit puzzled here - do you own the building with the DSL (and thus
presumably a DSL MoDem) in it, or are you talking about using a
neighbour's facility?

modem and I understand only one modem connection is allowed; besides,

It's not so much a matter of allowed, as won't work - on any one line,
you can only have one DSL MoDem/router.

However, you can have multiple devices connected to the internet via a
single router/MoDem: a typical one will have four cable sockets on it,
and if it has a wifi router built in, will allow somewhere between 7 and
many tens of devices to connect by wifi.

even if they are, two DSL modems would be rather expensive for as seldom
as I would like an online connection - usually Google and email - in my
home. Too much trouble to move the modem back and forth now as I don't
have a computer in the house.

I'm still not sure what you're saying/asking here. If you _do_ own the
building with the DSL service, and the MoDem/router that connects to it,
then - depending on whether it has wifi in it - you'd have to experiment
to see if the wifi coverage will extend to your adjacent building/house
(or which rooms therein). If it will but is patchy, you could experiment
with moving the router around in the building it's in. And/or, looking
into extender boxes (some of which use the mains power wiring in the
building). (If the building has a common electricity supply to the one
you're in, that may work out to be a good solution.)

I hate to pay for both services - my CenturyLink bill is already at $100
a month for landline and DSL.

That sounds a lot by UK standards! But I don't know what is the norm in
your part of the USA. (Mine's just under 200 pounds a _year_ for
landline and ADSL, including evening and weekend calls to non-premium UK
numbers.)

Sorry, this old man just don't understand all this new-fangled stuff.

Explanations? Suggestions?

TIA


Basically, there are three electronic functions:

The MoDem (modulator/demodulator), which translates the signals on the
line coming into your house into computer-readable signals.

The router, which allows several devices to use the signals coming out
of the MoDem. (As a bonus, helps them talk to each other as well - a
"home network".)

The wifi, which allows any devices with wifi in them (virtually all
laptops/netbooks these days, all smartphones, some desktop computers,
and USB dongles for desktops/old laptops that _don't_ have wifi) to
connect to the network.

Any or all of these functions may be combined into one box. In the UK,
if the connection to the outside world is via a normal telephone line,
they usually _are_ combined in one box, often confusingly just referred
to as the router. If the customer has a faster connection such as fibre
or cable, the MoDem is usually one box, and the router and wifi is
another. Usually (in the UK), service providers provide - often "free
but you pay postage" - the box that combines the three functions, as
part of the contract, and market it as if that's part of what they're
selling you (which I suppose it is), but you're _not_ obliged to use or
even take their box - you can buy your own.

There are routers that don't have wifi built in, and ones that do
(though in the UK ones without are rare). I am not aware of any boxes
which _just_ provide the wifi function but not the router function.

Most computers have an ethernet connection that can be connected by
cable to the router/MoDem to access the internet. Most laptops/netbooks
also have wifi, which provides a more convenient (though can be slower,
especially if you have lots of neighbours) means of establishing this
connection.

Smartphones can connect to wifi to access the internet that way, or can
connect to it directly (but at higher cost). [I'm unaware of any
_'phone_ that has a direct cable socket.] A very few _computers_ also
have hardware in them to use the internet via the cellular network (they
have a slot for a SIM card), or you can get "dongles" (like a USB stick)
that provide this; this allows those computers to be used anywhere there
is cellular coverage, but you pay for it.

To answer the subject question: DSL - digital subscriber line - is the
_service_ you pay your service provider for; wifi is a _short range_
thing that goes on the end of your (or someone else's, like McDonalds)
DSL line, that allows devices within a _short distance_ of the DSL line
end, to connect to it. So wifi and DSL are not _alternatives_; they
provide a different function. The range (of the wifi) depends very much
on the construction of the buildings involved, where within them you put
the "router", and how many neighbours you have who are trying to use the
same bands for the same purpose. (And on whether your "router" and
computers use both bands - the original 2.4 GHz band and the newer 5 GHz
band. Obviously both ends have to have both bands to take advantage.
Many cellphones do, few laptops do, more recent routers do.) Very
roughly, it will typically cover a typical house, and sometimes some
rooms in adjacent buildings; for some types of building construction,
there will be dead spots in some rooms. Here, moderately urban and I'm
in a flat (apartment), I can _see_ about 11 wifi networks belonging to
my neighbours (including a couple of hotels), maybe a third of them
strong enough to connect to if I knew the key. (I was surprised: I was
expecting it to be more like 30 visible.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Veni Vidi Vacuum [I came, I saw, It sucked] - , 1998