Broadband jargon people rarely understand

If you’re not familiar with a particular industry, its acronyms and jargon may be thoroughly confusing.

Modern car buyers are overwhelmed by such terminology – ADAS driver assistance, self-driving modes (which aren’t), numerous terms for systems which minimise wheelspin, and so on.

Similarly, the computing sector is peppered with abbreviations, from HTTPS and HTML through to RAM and ROM via bits and bytes.

Even the relatively simple (by computing standards) home broadband market is saturated in terms which could confuse the unwary.

In this article, we provide plain-English definitions of terms you might encounter while managing your existing connection or shopping around for a new broadband deal.

After all, broadband jargon shouldn’t deter you from seeking a new deal, particularly if you’re one of the millions of UK households currently outside a fixed-term contract period.

WiFi.

A TalkTalk survey last autumn suggested a third of consumers believe WiFi covers all home broadband connectivity, whether it’s hardwired or wireless, full fibre or ADSL.

In fact, WiFi is the term used to describe a wireless local area network distributed by a broadband router – either a domestic one or a commercially provided service for consumers.

Broadband.

Although the vast majority of UK internet connections now meet the minimum speed requirements to be marketed as broadband, not all homes enjoy a broadband connection.

Industry regulator Ofcom defines broadband as any internet service delivering download speeds of 10Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps. But what do those terms actually mean?

Mbps.

You’ll see this figure quoted extensively on BroadbandDeals.co.uk and in ISP marketing literature, with figures over 65 typically indicating high-speed full fibre broadband.

An abbreviation of megabits per second, Mbps describes how many million binary bits of data can be transmitted through an internet connection, to a device (download) or from it (upload).

Router.

A broadband router isn’t wireless, as broadband jargon sometimes implies. It’s connected to the cable which brings internet connectivity into your home, acting as a distribution point.

The router can distribute wireless data (via the aforementioned WiFi), but it could also pipe it along hardwired Ethernet cables or through plug sockets courtesy of Powerline adaptors.

Fibre.

Fibre optic cables are superb at transmitting digital data (unlike old copper phone lines), but not all broadband services marketed as fibre extend those cables right up to your router.

Some fibre cables terminate at a pavement exchange box (Fibre to the Cabinet) before copper lines take over. Only ‘full’ or Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) services provide end-to-end fibre.

Average.

The word ‘average’ has acquired many pejorative connotations, but in relation to broadband line speeds, it has a very specific meaning intended to provide reassurance to consumers.

By law, average broadband speeds must be available to the majority of ISP customers during the internet’s busiest period – 8pm to 10pm. These speeds relate to downloads, not uploads.

A secure website.

Most reputable websites augment their HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) operations with a Secure suffix, demonstrating that extra encryption is being applied to data transfers.

However, that doesn’t mean all HTTPS websites are trustworthy, or that a basic HTTP site shouldn’t be trusted. It simply means data sent to and from an HTTPS site can’t be spied on.

Network.

The word ‘network’ has several meanings, but it’s often mistakenly used to describe the whole internet, particularly if a device is suddenly knocked offline.

A network might relate to your home broadband and all supported connections. It could denote an ISP’s cables and servers. Or it may encompass a business’s internal IT systems.

Cloud.

Cloud computing refers to data centres where huge hard drive servers store data that would otherwise be saved onto individual user devices.

Cloud storage means data is accessible from anywhere, on any device with the right login credentials. However, it does rely on that device having a stable internet connection.