ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
In basic terms this means faster internet access. It is a type of broadband technology that operates over a normal telephone line, allowing it to be used for high-speed digital access. This means that the line can now be used for downloading information from the internet or sharing information between locations. ADSL supports data rates from 1.5Mb per second to 9Mb per second when receiving data (downstream rate) and from 16Kb per second to 640Kb per second when sending data (upstream rate). It is usually an always-on service.
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Bandwidth - The rate at wich data can move over a connection
For example, a standard dial up modem has a maximum bandwidth/ speed of 56Kb per second, whereas a 512K ADSL connection would give you a maximum speed of 512Kb per second.
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Contention Ratio - the ratio to which the available bandwidth is shared between users.
Most Broadband ADSL lines in the UK - regardless of service provider - are subject to contention, meaning that the network bandwidth available is shared between a number of subscribers. Services targeted at casual home users are frequently cheaper, but have a higher contention ratio. This means that the available network capacity is shared between a greater number of users. For example, most standard residential services offered today have a contention ratio of 50 to 1 (this means the bandwidth may be shared with up to 50 other subscribers). Although the residential services are cheaper, businesses are advised to opt for the lower contended 'business services' which typically have a much lower contention ratio of 20:1 (meaning the bandwidth is shared with no more than 20 other subscribers), and thus will provide a more consistent level of performance.
Up until recently subscribers have been enjoying contention ratios far lower than the 50:1 and 20:1 limits set by BT many years ago. As the number of subscribers increases however so does the level of contention. The higher the level of contention, the slower your connection speeds because you are sharing your bandwidth with more people.
If you are suffering slow connection speeds at peak traffic times throughout the day then consider upgrading to a lower contended (20:1) or uncontended (1:1) broadband service. Uncontended broadband (1:1) will guarantee that you are not sharing your broadband with anyone else thus ensuring much higher performance levels.
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Convergence
Where multiple products i.e voice, data and inernet communications come together to form one product, whilst retaining the advantages of each initial component.
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DSL Max
DSL Max is a new high speed broadband access product that delivers broadband at speeds up to 8Mbps enabling users to make the best of new ‘bandwidth hungry’ applications. Customers who buy DSL Max want a higher speed broadband service and will be concerned about the maximum and minimum delivered service speeds
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Hosting
A service where a company stores data on your behalf, such as a web site, on an internet-connected server.
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ISP - Internet Service Provider
An ISP is a business or organisation that sells access to the internet. In the past, most ISP's were run by the phone company. Now, ISPs can be started by just about any individual or group with sufficient money and expertise. In addition to Internet access via various technologies such as dial-up and DSL, they may provide other services such as domain name registration and website hosting.
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LAN - Local Area Network
A LAN is a computer network that spans a relativel small area. It usually includes servers, workstations and other devices such as routers and printers that are in the same geographical location. One LAN can be connected to others over any distance via telephone lines or using wireless technology. A system of LANs connected this way is called a WAN (see later).
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Router
A device that links more than one network together. It is often used to connect your computer network to the internet using your broadband line and also directs data traffic around the internet to ensure it arrives at its intended destination.
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SDSL - Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line
SDSL is a high-speed broadband connection offering both high-speed downloads and uploads. This is ideal for companies that regularly transfer large files over the internet to clients or to other offices. SDSL supports data rates up to 3Mb per second.
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VPN - Virtual Private Network
A VPN is a way to use a public telecommunications infrastructure, such as the internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organisation’s network.
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VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol
VoIP is the technology that enables people to use the internet to make and receive voice calls.
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Web Server
A computer permanently connected to the internet running software that allows information placed on it to be accessible via the web.
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WAN - Wide Area Network
A network connecting two ore more LANs that are in seperate geographical locations.
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