Connection terms
ISP: an internet service provider, the organization supplying internet access.
LAN: a local area network, such as the devices connected within a home.
Ethernet: a family of networking technologies commonly used for wired local connections.
Wi-Fi: wireless networking technology used to connect nearby devices.
Equipment terms
Modem: equipment used with certain access technologies to connect to provider service.
Router: a device that directs traffic between networks.
Access point: equipment that provides a wireless connection to a local network.
Gateway: a term with several networking meanings; in home cable internet, it commonly refers to combined modem/router equipment.
Measurement terms
Mbps: megabits per second, a data transfer rate.
Bandwidth: available capacity for transferring data.
Throughput: the data transfer rate actually achieved.
Latency: delay in communication, commonly measured in milliseconds.
Names and addresses
SSID: the name used to identify a Wi-Fi network.
IP address: an address used to identify an interface for network communication.
DNS: the system that helps translate domain names into network addresses.
More terms you may encounter
Packet: a unit of data sent across a network. A larger communication is commonly carried in many packets.
Upload: sending data from your device to another system.
Download: receiving data from another system onto your device.
Jitter: variation in communication delay.
Packet loss: the failure of some transmitted packets to arrive at their destination.
WAN: a wide area network; on a home router, the label commonly identifies the upstream connection.
GHz: gigahertz, a frequency unit. Wi-Fi band labels use frequency, not file transfer rate.
MB: megabytes, a data-size unit; capitalization distinguishes it from megabits in common usage.
Mesh network: in home Wi-Fi, a system of coordinated devices used to provide wireless coverage across an area.
Read terms together
“100 Mbps download” describes a transfer rate in one direction. “5 GHz Wi-Fi” describes a wireless frequency band. These figures measure different properties and should not be compared as if they were the same kind of number.