Every industry has a ton of jargon that makes it seem like you need 3 PhDs in order to understand it.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth; most industries are very simple, you just need to learn what the words mean, and everything becomes clear.
To help you in your quest to master the digital age, we’ve put together this brief glossary that explains in the simplest terms the broadband jargon you need to snag the best broadband deal out there 🤠🤠.
Just click on any term below and…Beep… Beep… Beep… Whirrrrrrr 💻💻💻
Broadband Glossary
Internet
The internet is a vast global system that connects computer networks around the world together. We’ve covered its entire history and future, and looked at intriguing insights about global internet usage. Did you know that 40% of the world still lives offline? 👀
Internet Speed
Have you ever tested your internet speed? Do you know why it’s so bloody slow? Or the difference between latency and download speed?
VPN
Most have a faint idea that a VPN helps them watch BBC iPlayer when they’re abroad but have no idea that free VPNs are actually dangerous. Read our simple guide to VPNs to become a pro.
Cloud
Not the fluffy floating things, but the industrial servers that store most of the useful information known to men (and woman) kind. We’ve written a 101 guide on Cloud Storage, as well as a guide into Cloud Gaming, which is the future and is only just around the corner.
Satellite Internet
While the internet is predominantly a network of networks of computers connected by physical cables, the information can also be transmitted over the sky and space. There are now two formidable satellite internet companies revolutionising internet access: Elon Musks’ Starlink and partly British-owned OneWeb.
Mobile Internet
When you connect to the internet with a mobile device away from your own broadband, you are likely connecting to a mobile or cellular network. These connect to the internet via a series of antennas installed on telecom towers. 1G was the OG cellular network that allowed for mobile calls, while 5G is the latest mobile network optimised for internet performance.
Broadband Internet
An internet connection via a physical land cable. It provides the majority of the global internet traffic (way more than mobile data), and there are many types, including:
- Leased Line Broadband: Renting out your private broadband cable. By avoiding sharing the public broadband cable, you avoid sloppy internet at high traffic times.
- Fibre optic broadband: The latest, fastest cabled internet connection that uses optical lasers over optical fibres to transmit internet data at close to the speed of light. Several providers offer fibre-specific internet deals.
- FTTP and FTTC: Two types of fibre-optic internet connections. FTTP is the fastest, FTTC is the second fastest, and includes GFast Broadband.
- GFast Broadband: A type of fibre-optic internet connection that can use the telephone copper wires when the fibre cables do not reach all the way to your router.
- ADSL Broadband: The slowest and cheapest type of broadband available that uses existing telephone copper wires to transmit internet data.
- Gigabit Internet: The king of broadband internet connections offering the highest speeds over fibre-optic cables.
Broadband Providers
You can’t just buy a wire from the shop and plug yourself to your closest street hub to get an internet connection. You need an IP address and only a broadband provider can give you a router that assigns you with one, for a fee of course.
Note that there are different arrangements for home broadband and business broadband deals.
Business Broadband
Business broadband providers provide internet services to private and public companies running businesses. There are some providers who specialize in small business broadband deals to accomodate to smaller players, and other tailor-made deals optimised for applications like VoIP that some businesses prioritise.
Business broadband comparison is a service provided by yours truly that lets you see what deals are available for your business in particular by simply providing your postcode.
Household Broadband
Household broadband providers are those who offer internet services to regular homes. Note that the market is very sophisticated and includes tailor-made deals for specific activities such as gaming which require performance even during high traffic, and social tariffs for those who are receiving government benefits such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit.
Household broadband comparison is our in-house service that can show you the best deals that are available specifically for your postcode. Remember, not all places are connected the same!
IP Addresses
Dynamic IPs: A dynamic IP address refers to an IP (Internet Protocol) address that is assigned to a device (such as a computer or router) by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) temporarily. It means that each time you connect to the internet, your ISP assigns you a different IP address from a pool of available addresses.
Static IPs: A static IP address is an IP (Internet Protocol) address manually assigned to a device and remains constant. Unlike dynamic IP addresses that change each time you connect to the internet, a static IP address is fixed and does not change unless manually modified by the user or the network administrator.
