Post 16 - Wireless vs. Broadband Plans

I'm in the process of buying a house, and I am trying to figure out what type of Internet service I should purchase. I've been using wireless for the past two years because the house I live in has it. Prior to moving back to PA, I used a Verizon Broadband card in my laptop because where I lived in Virginia, I could not get Internet access, so the broadband card was my only choice. Now, though, I have choices, and I'm not sure what the best one is.

I've thought about several things with regular Internet service and Broadband service through a phone company. First, every house I've lived in that had wireless had more than one computer in it. One computer was hooked in directly through a cord, and the rest ran off of the wireless. I'm moving alone (at least in the beginning); does wireless have to have one computer plugged in with an Internet cord or does the wireless work with only the wall connection? I'm curious because I don't want to have to always work at my desk, but if I have to be connected through a wire, the wireless seems somewhat useless.

On the other hand, the broadband card, be it from Verizon or AT&T (I had a Verizon one before because where I lived in Virginia was an AT&T dead zone), only services one computer, so if I were to get a roommate or have people over to work on projects, only one computer could be connected to the Internet, which could cause problems. At the same time, the broadband card allows me to travel with my computer and connect wherever I need to without finding a WiFi hotspot. Also, the price of the broadband cards has decreased significantly since I last used one; two years ago I paid about $65.00 a month, which included tax and fees. The current price on Verizon's website for broadband service is $39.99 plus tax and fees. Right now I'm not sure of the cost of regular Internet service, so I'm not even sure what the cost differential is; right now I probably just need to find the cheaper of the two and go with that.

As I consider which Internet style I should purchase, I guess the answer to all of my questions is truly personal preference. Some people are fine with finding wireless hotspots when away from home, while others like to hand the laptop to the kids, connect to the Internet, and have a quiet drive to wherever they are going.