WAM, LAN, thank you MAM

IT Speak is a language that is foreign to most of us and I must confess, some of these are still confusing to me.

I have put together a list of words which I think could geekify you in such a way that you would be able to hold your own in any conversation relating to anything IT’ish.

3G  (Third generation cellular network)

That is what I use to surf the internet.  Personally I find 3G the best for my needs.  It can go where I go and I can use it anywhere.  Even if it is more expensive, I prefer to pay more for something that is available 99.99% of the time.  And the speed is certainly something to write home about.

HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access)

Very much the same as 3G, it just offers a higher network access speed of up to 14mbps (mega bits per second)

ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber line)

Makes use of copper telephone lines and therefore you need a Telkom line.  This is ideal for gamers and more than enough for the home user.  The overall cost could be higher than other connectivity because you need a “land” line, a separate ADSL line and an account from an ISP (Internet Service Provider)

BROADBAND

Offer high speed connectivity to the internet.  It makes use of a wide band signal and the greater the width of the band (bandwidth) the more information can be transmitted or carried.

MBSP (Mega Bits Per Second)

One byte equals 8 bits and one megabit is only 125 000 bytes.  Therefore if you have a 4 megabit connection you will be downloading ate 500KB/s.

KBPS (Kilo Bytes Per Second)

This usually refers to the speed  at which data can be downloaded or in other words the “data rate” .

ETHERNET

This is the name of the most widely installed LAN (Local Area Network) technology.  This technology allows the networking (sharing) of data.

LAN (Local Area Network)

This network is usually restricted to a room or a building.

WAN (Wide Area Network)

This is the big brother of LAN and incorporates many smaller LANs to make a global network or the internet or the cyberworld as we know it.

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)

In plain simple word it means that technology allows voice data to be transferred via the same delivery method as your internet.  You can talk to your friends making use of microphone, earphones and if you like a webcam.

WI-FI

This is for short range wireless networking.  Derived from HI-FI which means High Fidelity sound, it would simply mean High Fidelity wireless.

ROUTER

This is the “Speed Cop” of your internet connection.  This little device makes sure that date is routed in such a way that no bottlenecks occur or any congested data traffic jams.

MODEM

Without this device, you won’t be able to get onto the internet.

COVERAGE AREA

This is the area that is covered by a wireless signal.  Hopefully the monopoly over these little hotspots will be lifted soon and we South Africans will be able to enjoy free internet surfing *sigh*

MFP (Multi Function Printer)

These printers are printers which can scan, fax and photocopy all with one machine.

COST PER PAGE

This is the amount of money that each printed page will cost you taking paper and toner into account.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

This is the thingy you use to attach “plug and play” devices to your computer.  Plug and Play meaning, you plug it in and it works out of the box.  No installation needed.