Commonly Used Terms

Bandwidth- The width of the band, the amount of data measured in bits per hertz, a range of radio frequencies used to transmit a signal

Broadband- High-speed internet (these terms are interchangeable)

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)- Transmits digital data over older copper telephone lines

Ethernet Cable- A commonly used category 5 or 6 cable, consisting of 8 copper wires, used as part of wired network

Gigabit- One gigabit is 1,000 megabits

Gbps- Gigabits per second

ISP- Internet Service Provider

LAN (Local Area Network)- A group of computers and peripheral devices that share a common communications line or link

Modem- This device connects directly to the internet

Mbps- "Megabits per second"; the amount of data that can be transferred within one second and is most commonly used to quantify internet speeds

Router- "Routes" the internet signal to computers and devices in your home

Wi-Fi- A wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless network connectivity