Bamboozled by the ISP jargon?

• ADSL - Enables high speed data transfer over traditional copper phone lines.
• ADSL2+ – This is a form of ADSL that offers even faster top speeds of data transfer.
• Bandwidth – A way of measuring the speed of data transmission. The units are bits per second (bps).
• Broadband – A service that enables large amounts of data to be transferred at fast speeds.
• Browser – A program like Internet Explorer that enables you to search the Internet.
• Byte – A measurement of computer storage space. There are 1024 MB in a gigabyte (GB).
• Dial-up – This is where a connection is established with the Internet using a telephone line and modem.
• Download – This is the process of retrieving a copy of information from your own or a remote computer.
• Downstream – This refers to the flow of data from a specific location to your PC.
• Email – This is the exchange of electronic mail between computers and users.
• Encryption – This is the process of translating data into a secret code for security purposes.
• Filters – Devices that plug into your phone socket to separate your phone and broadband signals.
• Gigabyte (GB) – This is a unit of storage capacity. There are 1,024 megabytes in one GB.
• History – This is a list of previously viewed websites that is stored in your browser.
• Home page – This is the web page that appears when you first open your browser.
• Internet Service Provider (ISP) – This is a company that provides users with access to the Internet.
• Internet – A network of networks around the world that facilitates data transfer and communication.
• JPEG / Gif – A type of image format commonly used in web pages.
• Kilobyte (KB) – A unit of storage capacity, there are 1024 bytes in a KB.
• Mbps (Megabits per second) – A measurement of speed when referring to data transfer or bandwidth.
• Megabyte (MB) – A unit of storage capacity, there are 1024 kilobytes in a MB.
• Migration Fee – A fee that sometimes applies if you choose to switch providers inside of your contract.
• Modem – A device that allows computers to send and receive data using a telephone line.
• MP3 – A type of music file format.
• MPEG – A type of video file format.
• Multimedia – Presenting many forms of media, such as text, graphics and videos.
• Offline – The status of a computer user when not connected to the Internet.
• Online – The status of a computer user when connected to the internet.
• Router – A router allows two networks to be connected so that data can be transferred between them.
• Streaming – A term used to describe watching or listening to a multimedia file as it is downloading.
• Surfing – A term used to describe browsing the Internet.
• Upload – The process of transferring data from your computer to a remote location.
• Upstream – This refers to the flow of data from your computer to the Internet.
• Web page – A single document on the Internet.
• Web site – A combined series of web pages.
• Wi-Fi – A term used to describe connection to a local network using wireless technology.