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Originally Posted by BookCat
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2. do I need wi-fi to use a kindle? All the internet in my home is wired. I don't mind using 3g on the odd occasion I want to download a book from Amazon, but is this necessary; can I just sideload books?...
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In day-to-day use, no. You do need either WiFi or 3G to perform any of the "network" functions. These include syncing between devices and registering/reregistering the device.
Kindles, devices and software, must be registered to a Amazon account in order to purchase books from Amazon. Normally, a new Kindle will be pre-registered to the account with which it was purchased. If it was purchased as "a gift" it will come unregistered. An unregistered Kindle device will also lack some features until it is registered.
Kindle books that have DRM are mated to the particular device or software app for which they were purchased. Once a device is registered, you can purchase using any computer and download to that computer for sideloading to the device. If you are willing to remove DRM and have the Tools to do so, you could install Kindle for PC/Mac on your computer, register it and use it to purchase books. Once the DRM is removed you could sideload them to an unregistered Kindle. Kindle books acquired from vendors other than Amazon will not have DRM.
If you don't have multiple Kindles you don't need the syncing features. The very few other times you might need to reregister a Kindle to a new account, if ever, are rare enough that "borrowing" WiFi when needed (friends house, library, coffee shop, ...) should be a problem. I have WiFi at home but almost never connect to it from my Kindle. I download to my desktop and sideload via USB.