• Buying Guide
• What is Broadband?
• Broadband Security
• Types Of Broadband
• Broaband FAQs
• Broadband Glossary
• Broadband Usage Levels

Broadband Glossary Of Terms

ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This is a DSL line where the upload and download speeds differ - typically the download speed is faster than the upload speed.

Always on
A connection to the Internet that is permanently available and ready for use.

Anti-virus software
Anti-virus software provides you with a high degree of protection against computer viruses invading your computer.

Bandwidth
This is a term dictating how fast you can send and receive data using your connection.

Broadband
A transmission technology that allows multiple signals to share one cable

Contention Ratio
This describes the maximum number of users sharing the bandwidth on the broadband connection between your local exchange and your broadband provider.

DSL
Digital Subscriber Line. This is a method of transmitting data over standard telephone lines.

Firewall
Firewalls can protect from internal and external threats. It is essentially a computer system that sits between the internet and a computer or network

ISP/Broadband Provider
An acronym for Internet Service Provider. This is the company that is supplying you with your broadband service.

MAC address
Migration Authorisation Code - allows you to migrate from one broadband provider to another.

Modem
This is an acronym derived from the words modulator and demodulator by taking the "mo" and "dem" from the words. A modem is a piece of hardware that is used to connect computers to the Internet.

Piggy backing
Gaining access to a restricted communications channel by using the session another user already established.

Phishing
This is the act of tricking someone into giving them confidential information or tricking them into doing something that they normally wouldn't do or shouldn't do.

SDSL
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A variant of DSL where the upload and download speeds are the same.

Spyware
Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes

Wi-Fi
This stands for Wireless Fidelity and means the connection of two network devices wirelessly.