The ABC's of (basic) Tech Terms |
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This guide is for everyone. Be you a person who is not very tech-savvy, or a person who is very tech-savvy, but needs to communicate with someone who is not. This is a list of some common tech terms and what they are. A/V Cables Short for Audio/Video, this type of cable consists of three plugs; red, white, & yellow. The yellow carries the video signal, the red carries the right audio signal, and the white carries the left audio signal.  A/V Port This is the place where the A/V cables plug into. Usually, it is three ports; yellow, red, & white, but there may just two, consisting of yellow and red or yellow and white.  Broadband This is commonly known as the type of internet service that is provided by the cable company. The internet service is provided via a coaxial cable into a modem. Cat 5 This is also known as a network cable. The name comes from "Category 5", which is the type of wire it is. Coaxial Also known as a "cable wire", this type of wire is mostly known by it's use for cable television.  Composite Cable Another name for A/V Cables. Component Cable description  DSL Short for Digital Subscriber Line, this is a high-speed connection, usually provided by telephone companies. The service is usually provided by a telephone wire connected to a modem. Ethernet Cable description FiOS Short for Fiber Optic Service, this is a high-speed connection to the internet that is provided via a fiber optic line from the ISP to the home, rather than to a local hub. IP Address description LAN Short for Local Area Network. As the name states, this is a local network, which could be a network set up in your home or office. MAC description MAC Address description MAC Filtering description Modem description Network Cable description  Operating System This is the (core) software that operates the computer. On most computers, this is Microsoft Windows (2000, XP, Vista, etx), OS X (Macintosh/Apple), or Linux. OS Short for Operating System. RJ-15 This is the type of plug/jack that is used on regular phone wires. RJ-45 This is the type of plug/jack that is used on network cables. It looks like a large phone plug/jack (RJ-45). Router description SSID This is the acronym for Service Set Identifier. It's basically the name of your wireless network. USB description VoIP description WAN Short for Wide Area Network. This refers to networks that cover large areas, often made up of smaller networks. The internet is a good example of a WAN. WEP Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy, this is a type of security that is used on wireless networks. WEP Key The password needed to connect to a wireless network that is using WEP security. Wireless Mode description Wireless Security description WLAN Short for Wireless Local Area Network. Like the name states, this refers to a local wireless network. WPA Short for Wi-Fi Protected Access, this is a type of security that is used on wireless networks. |
