A wireless modem is a type of modem which connects to a wireless network instead of to the telephone system. When you connect with a wireless modem, you are attached directly to your wireless ISP (Internet Service Provider) and you can then access the Internet.

Types of devices used:

• Mobile phones, smartphones, and PDAs can be employed as data modems to form a wireless access point connecting a personal computer to the Internet (or some proprietary network). In this use the mobile phone is providing a gateway between the cellular service provider's data network technology and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) spoken by PCs. Almost all current mobile phone models support the Hayes command set, a standard method of controlling modems. To the PC, the phone appears like an external modem when connected via serial cable, USB, IrDA infrared or Bluetooth wireless.

• Wireless FireWire, USB and Serial modems are also used in the Wi-Fi and WiMAX standards, operating at microwave frequencies, to give a laptop, PDA or desktop computer an access point to a network. The modems may be as large as a regular cable modem to as small as a WiFi dongle/USB-stick. If combined with VoIP technology, these computing devices can achieve telephone-like capability to make and receive telephone calls.
• PCMCIA, ExpressCard and Compact Flash modems are also used. These card-modems can also have GPS included.