| ADSL |
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. An ADSL connection enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional dial-up connection can provide. |
| Always on |
A permanent connection to the Internet without tying up your phone line. |
| Bandwidth |
Bandwidth refers to how fast data flows through the path that it travels to your computer. It is usually measured in kilobits, megabits or gigabits per second. |
| Bit |
A 'bit' is a basic unit of information in computing, essentially a '1' or '0'. Bits per second (bps) is a common measure for data transmission speed. The speed in bps is equal to the number of bits transmitted or received each second. Larger units are often used to denote high data speeds: kbps (kilobits per second) being one thousand bits per second; mbps (megabits per second) being one million bits per second; and gbps (gigabits per second) being one thousand million bits per second. |
| Broadband |
Broadband comes from the words "broad bandwidth". It is used to describe a high capacity, two way link between end users and access network suppliers. |
| Byte |
Unit of storage measurement. A byte is made up of 8 bits. All information is stored as bits and bytes, which determine the size of the document, picture, video clip etc that you may wish to download or send via email. |
| CPE |
Customer Premises Equipment e.g. The computer, modem and wiring at a customer's premises. In the case of a satellite connection, it also refers to the satellite dish installed (usually) on your roof. |
| Download |
A Download is any activity that transfers data to your computer from another one. Viewing a web page is downloading, because all the words, pictures and links on that page have to be transferred to your computer and contributes to any download limits placed on your account by your Internet service provider. Other activities like retrieving emails, listening to music, watching a video or chatting online are also downloads. |
| Ethernet |
A common method of networking computers in a local area network (LAN) using a variety of forms of cabling. |
| IP address |
Internet Protocol address. A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 111.151.9.42. Every machine on the Internet has to have one of these assigned to it. Websites and email servers have a fixed or 'static' IP address. As there are not enough IP addresses to enable all computers to have a static address, other users of the Internet can have what is called a dynamic IP address. This means that when you access the Internet from your home computer, the ISP assigns a random IP address for each session. |
| ISDN |
Integrated services digital network (ISDN) sends data via a digital phone line to national and international destinations. It can be used to deliver the total Internet, telephony and fax requirements of a small organisation. An ISDN is not a broadband connection but rather a dial-up connection and, therefore, is significantly slower and less reliable. |
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a business or individual offering Internet access services to customers. Harbour IT is an ISP. |
| Kbps |
Kilobits per second |
| MB |
Megabyte (MB) is the term used to describe a unit of data. Most Internet access plans operate on an allowance of data being downloaded and/or uploaded. This allowance is usually measured in MB or GB (Gigabytes). One Megabyte is equivalent to about one million bytes. |
| Mbps |
Megabits per second |
| Modem |
A device to convert digital signals (normally sent by a computer) to analogue signals for transmission over conventional copper twisted pair telephone lines. It also converts the incoming analogue signals received over a telephone line to a digital signal for use by the computer. A specific type of modem (being a satellite modem) is required for a satellite broadband connection. |
| Network |
Any group of two or more computers that are linked together. |
| Package speed |
The 'package speed' refers to the speed at which data is transmitted, either from the Internet to your computer (download) or from your computer to the Internet (upload). Broadband speeds can be expressed as kilobits per second (kbps) or megabits per second (mbps). |
| POP |
1. Post Office Protocol. This refers to the way that email software gets mail from a mail server. Accounts with an ISP will always have a POP account to enable you to send and receive emails.
2.Point of Presence. This usually means a town or location where a network can be connected. |
| Router |
System that handles the traffic through the Internet. It determines the path that the information sent to and from your computer will follow. |
| Satellite, One-way |
One-way satellite connections utilise a satellite link to download data to the broadband user and a standard telephone connection for uploading data back to the Internet. |
| Satellite, Two-way |
Two-way satellite connections use the satellite link to both upload and download information. |
| Upload |
Uploading is any activity where data is going from your computer to another site. Sending an email, adding items to your personal web page or allowing other users to retrieve files located on your computer are all examples of uploading data. All uploads will contribute to your usage allowance on your account. |
| Usage Allowance |
A usage allowance is the amount of data you are allowed to transfer over the Internet, either by downloading or uploading data. Some plans allow you to download or upload an unlimited amount of data and others give you a limit. There may be separate download and upload limits or there may be a combined allowance (e.g. 500 MB per month). Usage allowances are set by your ISP. If there is a limit, be aware of excess usage fees or speed shaping/throttling. Users may be charged a per–megabyte/per–gigabyte fee for any additional data uploaded/downloaded or have their connection speed slowed right down once the limit is reached (called shaping or throttling). 'Unlimited' deals may really only offer a certain amount of usage at a given broadband speed after which the consumer is shaped/throttled back to a slower speed. It is advisable to monitor the amount of data downloaded and uploaded, to and from, your computer to avoid unexpected excess usage fees. There are tools that allow you to monitor your usage. Ask your ISP if you can view your account usage online. By keeping track of your usage patterns you may also find that you use more or less data and decide to change your plan. |
| VOIP |
Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) allows phone calls using the Internet connection. Please note that Harbour IT does not recommend, nor does it support, VOIP services. |
| Wireless |
While the specific technology used to provide wireless broadband services varies, each service provider uses radio frequencies to transmit and receive data between their customers and a local transmission point. Normally, this requires a number of base stations, similar to mobile phone towers, which transmit to customers who have a small transmitter/receiver connected to their computers or other digital devices. |