Broadband Jargon Buster
So you want to join the high speed broadband revolution, get broadband for the first time or switch provider but don't know your ADSL from your VoIP? Check out our broadband jargon buster which should put geeky technical terms and acronyms into more palatable plain English!
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.
Put simply ADSL is a connection between your computer and the information on the internet. ADSL connections run directly from your phone line and unlike previous technologies such as dial-up and ISDN, the connection is always on - at no extra cost! You pay your flat rate monthly fee but some broadband providers may charge your for downloading more than your agreed limit. At a basic level ADSL runs at 512kbits per second downstream and 256kbits per second upstream - that's 10 times faster than dial-up internet! The current fastest provider on an ADSL connection is Be Broadband with download speeds of up to 24Mbps.
Broadband
The word broadband has become part of our everyday vernacular and originates from the words "broad bandwidth". It is commonly used to describe high-speed data transmission (such as uploading and downloading data on the internet ) where the bandwidth is shared by more than one simultaneous signal. This would explain why with certain providers your broadband speed seems to be slower at certain points during the day - i.e. peak usage times.
Modem
Modem originates from an amalgamation of the words "Modulate Demodulate". Basically a modem takes the analogue audio line that you receive from the phone and turns it into a digital source which can be used by your computer and vice versa. A modem tends to be for one computer accessing the internet. Modems are often provided FREE of charge when you sign up for your broadband package. If you have been with your provider for a while you may want to upgrade to a router.
Router
A router differentiates from a modem in that it is used to forward packets of information on to locations in a network. In terms of a home user routers that come with broadband packages tend to be modem routers so they will make the analogue signal digital and then route that signal to a computer or computer around the network. This can be a wired or a wireless.
VOB - Voice Over Broadband
VOB is sometimes used to refer to phone calls made using an internet connection. See VoIP
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol
VoIP put simply is making phone calls using your broadband connection rather than a traditional phone line. Internet Protocol or IP is the protocol that is used to send packets of data
online and it is possible to send voice data over your broadband connection at much cheaper prices than you can make traditional phone calls. Orange Unlimited Broadband and BT Total Broadband offer VoIP as part of their packages and companies such as Vonage offer cheap international phone calls with VoIP. There are a wide number of VoIP enabled phones and VoIP softphones available from hardware providers such as BT Shop.