Answer Base

I have a pda which will pick up all available brodband beams. will plugging in a dongle to my pc achieve the same result, i.e. pick up all available broadband signals?

It should do. however depending on the location you may need to use a short usb extension cable to get the best signal.if you are picking up the wireless access point that you own then you are legal. if you do not own the access point you are connecting to then your internet connection could be terminated at any time should the legal owners of the networks broadcasting in your location tighten up there security.so be careful and be sure you have your own wireless enabled router/modem for best results and for your own system security, as anyone you can connect to could gain access to your computer and the shared files and folders on your network. so think security and get it sorted.