Welcome to the March issue of amag and happy 'St Paddy’s Day' to everyone. Yes the magnificent month of March is here, the month Guinness stakes it's annual profit on. To celebrate this fact we’ve included a little exposé on the month that is March.

For those interested in finding out a little more about all things wireless then this month's hot tips will come in handy.

From the team at Amnet, 'Top of the month to ya!' and enjoy this months amag.

Mild mannered March, the month that is often overlooked has a few surprises up its sleeve, at least as far as the author is concerned. Here's why:

March used to be the first month of the year! According to Wikipedia... The name of March comes from ancient Rome, when March was the first month of the year and named Martius after Mars, the Roman god of war. In Rome, where the climate is Mediterranean, March is the first month of spring, a logical point for the beginning of the year as well as the start of the military campaign season. The numbered year began on March 1 in Russia until the end of the fifteenth century. Great Britain and her colonies continued to use March 25 until 1752, which was when they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar. Many other cultures and religions still celebrate the beginning of the New Year in March.

St Patrick's day is in March. According to the Guinness website 1.9 billion pints of Guinness stout are consumed every year. Funnily enough pubs were closed on 'St Paddy’s' day in Ireland until the 1970's. Another interesting fact - turns out St Patrick was born in England and was abducted and enslaved by Irish marauders at age 16. Also the colour green, the colour of St Patrick, was not green but blue. According to Irish folklore, green was considered unlucky as it was the favourite colour of 'faeries' who they believed were likely to steal people.

Mardi Gras. Yes the crazy Mardi Gras season ends in March with biggest celebrations happening this month. Did you know Mardi Gras literally means Fat Tuesday in French?

"It's White Day, y'all". Don’t be alarmed, White Day is actually the Japanese Valentines Day celebrated on 14 March and guess what - in Japan, females give the men chocolates. As Hello Kitty says; Gentle as the breeze, Deep as the ocean, Constant as the moon, Mysterious LOVE.

Let’s party like it’s Nowruz eve? Nowruz being New Years Day in Iran and several other countries takes place on March 21, so now you have another reason to celebrate this month. There you have it, March is not so mundane after all.

And the winner is...

January winner - John Mpala (right)

Congratulations to the John Mpala, the January winner of our Refer a Friend promotion.

Think it’s too hard to win an iPod? Well it’s not! John won after referring just one of his friends to Amnet. So if you’re feeling lucky simply tell a friend about Amnet’s great value broadband. As the saying goes 'You’ve got to be in it to win it'.

Don’t forget it’s a great deal for your friends too. Every referred customer gets a $100 credit to use on their new Amnet Broadband account.

To nominate your friends, log in to Amnet’s Member Tools and follow the Refer a Friend link.

Wireless VS Wireless

In this month’s issue we’re talking about wireless, in particular the difference between wireless ADSL and wireless broadband. 

When it comes to wireless Internet people are often a little confused about what they want and need. This is usually because customers are making a choice between wirelessly networked ADSL or WiFi and Wireless Broadband or Mobile Broadband. So what is the difference?

Wirelessly networked ADSL refers to connecting to ADSL broadband through the use of a wireless (Wi-Fi) modem or router. This gives users the benefit of connecting to ADSL broadband with benefits of stability and higher downloads but with the freedom to use the Internet anywhere in their home without the need for cables.

The downside is that you run a greater risk of someone accessing your network or Internet connection (we’ll discuss security tips in next months Hot Tips) and data speeds are a lot slower than a wired network if you are transferring big files between computers. Wireless connections also tend to be a little unstable and can be affected by environmental factors and other wireless networks. However, wireless networking still remains a popular choice given the freedom it affords the user.

Wireless Broadband or Mobile Broadband refers to users connecting to the Internet through the use of 3G, HSDPA or GSM devices connected to ones computer. These devices allow the user to connect to the Internet wirelessly not only within their own home but anywhere in the metro and often regional areas. The great benefit of this option is that customers have the option to use the Internet wherever they go, not just at home.

The negatives are that plans tend to offer far less value for money than most ADSL Broadband plans. The download and upload speeds are also far lower than ADSL Broadband speeds, as often customers can never achieve the speeds advertised by providers. This is because Mobile Broadband is reliant on the mobile towers to provide connectivity. As a result the more people using that tower the slower the connection, this is known as 'over-subscribing'. The reliance on mobile towers also impacts the stability of the service. Ever watched the bars on your phone signal go up and down, imagine that when your trying to download your emails. Then there is the limited networking capability as only one user can easily utilise the Internet connection.

So as you can see there are a number of factors that determine which wireless Internet service is right for you.

Don’t miss next month's amag when we give you some wireless networking tips with information on wireless like speeds, ranges and security options.