While most of us can competently browse the internet with ease and even dabble in online shopping, not everyone understands just how the internet actually works. Read a complex internet-based article, and you might even be unfamiliar with some of the terms the article writers use.
Knowledge is power, and the more you know about the internet, the more confidence you might have to use it. Here are some of the most common terms related to the internet you might like to learn.
Fibre
Fibre is a term used to describe the lightweight fibre-optic cables for connecting your property to broadband and a phone line. It’s so fast that the fibre-optic cables can send data at about 70% of the speed of light!
Fibre is now considered the global standard for broadband and has been rolled out throughout many parts of New Zealand. The government hoped to provide 87% of Kiwis with fibre broadband by 2022. However, not everyone can and will get fibre connectivity, especially those in rural locations.
Satellite Internet
Satellite internet is a type of broadband connection, just like Fibre, VDSL, ADSL, and 4G. This type of internet works similarly to satellite TV, with an internet service provider relying on signals routed from satellites in space to receiver dishes that pick up the signals here on Earth.
As complicated as satellite internet sounds, it’s simple for the average user. You can use the internet as you would any other standard connection and upload and download content to your heart’s content. Most people relying on satellite internet connections live rurally or in remote locations.
Wi-Fi
Many people throw around the term ‘Wi-Fi’ without actually knowing what it is. In technical terms, it’s a family of wireless network protocols used for the local area networking of devices and internet access. With Wi-Fi, digital devices can exchange data by radiowaves, which is how your smartphone, laptop, and other devices can connect to each other and your modem.
Broadband
Broadband is a common internet term, but could you actually describe what it is? In telecommunication terms, it’s wide bandwidth data transmission responsible for transporting signals of various frequencies and internet traffic types.
Some people also use the term rural broadband, which differentiates between typical high-speed internet connections in urban areas and the type of internet services you can access in rural locations, such as 4G internet, wireless internet, and satellite internet.
MBPS
You might not immediately know what ‘MBPS’ is, but this information can be important when choosing your satellite internet plan. MBPS means megabits per second, and it relates to broadband speeds. You might also see it written as Mb, Mbps, and Mbits p/s. These tiny data units represent how fast or slow your upload and download speeds will be. The higher the number, the faster your internet will be. When you choose a satellite internet plan through Woi, you can expect excellent upload and download speeds.
The Woi 1 plan advertises 12mbps down/10mbps up, which increases to 30mbps down/10mbps up on Woi 2. If you opt for the Woi 3 plan, you’ll enjoy 55mbps down/20mbps up and 10mbps down/5mbps up on the Choice plan. Woi customers with the Home Basic plan can browse to their heart’s content with 300mbps down/100mbps up, and you’ll be more than productive on the Fibre Business plan with 950mbps down/500mbps up.
It's typical for the download speed to be higher than the upload speed because most internet users spend more time streaming music and movies and checking social media and less time uploading data, such as posting videos and photos online.
Router
Routers are networking devices responsible for forward data between computer networks. They also perform traffic directing on the internet. Most people with internet connections have routers, and you will be provided with one when you purchase a satellite internet plan through Woi.
VOIP
VOIP is a reasonably new term, but it’s one worth learning about. It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as IP telephony, and is a type of technology to deliver multimedia and voice communications over the internet and IP networks. Basically, it’s a phone service delivered over the internet, and it’s reasonably quite straightforward in its function.
Your phone connects to a router in your Local Area Network (LAN). When you dial a phone number, your IP phone tells the VOIP service provider to call the number. The VOIP service makes the call happen and exchanges data from your IP phone. The digital signals are then transferred back as sounds you can hear.
Get Help From Woi
While you might now be familiar with some of the most frequently used internet terms, that doesn’t mean you’ll feel confident to make significant internet changes. If you need help setting up high-speed rural broadband, contact the friendly team at Woi. Our expert team can be the support you need to have complete control of your internet usage.
