So, you understand that the internet is a thing which connects you magically to cyberspace and everything in it. You\u2019ve been using it for years, and you know how to do a whole bunch of really neat stuff online from e-mail to Netflix.<\/p>\n
Which is why you feel that you should already know the meaning of these terms that tech-savvy people brandy about like they\u2019re household terms they picked\u00a0 up back when they learned to ride a bike. You\u2019ve been online too long and now it\u2019s just too late to ask.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t worry. Whether you\u2019re logging on for the first time or just trying to make sense of it after all these years, we have below a list of commonly misused and misunderstood basic internet terms. You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a Megabit Mb?<\/strong> What\u2019s the difference between Mb, Kb, and GB?<\/strong> Hope that’s a “bit” less confusing.<\/p>\n So, what\u2019s a Megabyte MB, then?<\/strong> What\u2019s Bandwidth?<\/strong> For example, if you have a 4Mbps line you have a narrow road. If you have a 50Mbps line you have a much wider road and can perform more online tasks at once without experiencing congestion(slowing down). Remember, some of the things you do online use more bandwidth than other things – for example streaming uses more than browsing social media. You should choose your line speed or bandwidth according to what you’re planning on doing with it. We have a handy little guide on choosing the right line speed right here.<\/a><\/p>\n What is an ISP?<\/strong> What\u2019s an underlying infrastructure provider?<\/strong> What\u2019s the Cloud?<\/strong> Many applications are \u201ccloud-based\u201d which means they work via the internet, you don\u2019t download the whole thing. Your data is up\u00a0 there waiting for you to grab it. Remember though, anything in \u201cthe cloud\u201d does still actually have to be stored somewhere \u2013 this will usually be on big central server computers. The main advantage of cloud computing is that you can store your data without having to carry around heavy hard drives, and without slowing up your computer with too many saved files \u2013 and you can access it from anywhere, provided you have internet access and a device.<\/p>\n What\u2019s an App?<\/strong> What are cookies?<\/strong> What is P2P?<\/strong> What\u2019s the difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz?<\/strong> What is 3G, 4G and 5G?<\/strong> What\u2019s an IP address?<\/strong> What is HTML?<\/strong> What’s the difference between ADSL, LTE and Fibre?<\/strong><\/p>\n We are ever so glad you asked! Fibre is the best, fastest and most reliable internet connection available. LTE is airborne internet which is super convenient if you move home a lot. ADSL is an older form of internet connectivity which is busy being phased out. You can read all about the differences between them and which is most suitable for you in this article on internet technologies.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So, you understand that the internet is a thing which connects you magically to cyberspace and everything in it. You\u2019ve been using it for years, and you know how to do a whole bunch of really neat stuff online from e-mail to Netflix. Which is why you feel that you should already know the meaning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":10563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/internet-terms-and-questions.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdAWxt-2Km","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10562"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10575,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10562\/revisions\/10575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.webafrica.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA Megabit (Mb) is a unit used to measure internet speed. Kind of like miles or kilometers per hour, but MUCH faster! They are often referred to as \u201cmegs\u201d or \u201cMbps\u201d – Megabits per second. It refers to the time it takes to complete a task requested by a user (that\u2019s you) on the internet. For example, every time you open a webpage or click on something online you are making a request. How long it takes to load that cat video can be measured in Mbps.<\/p>\n
\n1000 bits = kilobit (kb)
\n1000 kilobits = 1 Megabit (Mb)
\n1000 Megabits = 1 gigabit (GB)<\/p>\n
\nA Megabyte (MB) is a measure of data size (not speed). The size of your files is usually measured in MB or GB (gigabytes).
\nGot it? Good. Next\u2026<\/p>\n
\nThis is where the fun stuff starts. Bandwidth is the term used to refer to how much data you can send through your network connection at a given time. It\u2019s like the width of the road. The wider it is the more cars you can drive down it at once. The higher your bandwidth is the faster your internet will appear because you can do more at once. Your bandwidth is determined by the size of the line you choose.<\/p>\n
\nAn ISP is an Internet Service Provider (like us!). We help you connect to the internet and sell you the data you use. We are also the people who make sure everything works behind the scenes so that when you turn on your device the Wifi is there ready and waiting to stream, chat, browse and answer your questions.<\/p>\n
\nThe Underlying Infrastructure Providers are the people who build the networks and allow us (the ISP) to access those networks. Think of it like this: The underlying infrastructure provider builds the roads, and we drive the cars (and busses and Ubers). More about all that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nNo, not the kind that we Capetonians are always hoping for. In internet terms \u201cThe cloud\u201d generally refers to computing that takes place “in” the internet rather than on your computer. You can store your files in the cloud. If you have a Google account with stuff in your Google Drive – you are already using the cloud. If you don’t – then it might be time to try it out!<\/p>\n
\nThere’s an app for that! A web app (or application) is a program that allows you to perform certain tasks within a mobile system. For example, Whatsapp is a messaging app. Netflix has a mobile app that allows you to access your Netflix account from your phone or tablet without having to go through your browser. I have a fitness app which reminds me to drink water. There are apps for just about everything! The advantage is that they tend to put you in touch with the information you need without using up too much space on your device.<\/p>\n
\nCookies are small packets of information or data which are collected by the websites you visit. You can not eat them, nor feed them to your computer mouse. You can learn all about cookies here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nP2P is like when your computer and devices talk to each other face-to-face rather than over the phone.\u00a0P2P stands for \u201cpeer-to-peer\u201d and refers to a network of computers which are communicating with each other without the use of the internet or a central server. In other words, your computers are talking to each other. You can share files and folders, or play games with each other, or chat. Your printer, speakers, mouse, and pretty much every additional thing that you connect to your computer is usually connected via P2P. There are generally cables involved.<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019re using Fibre, then you have probably seen these two Wifi signal types come up in your available internet options. These are the Wifi signals your router is sending out, which you can use to connect to the internet. They are the invisible waves of internet happiness which magically make everything work, even though you are not plugged in via a cable. 2.4GHz is slower, and 5GHz is faster but has less range. Learn all about 2.4GHz and 5GHz here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThis one is simpler than you\u2019d imagine. \u201cG\u201d stands for generation and it refers to a wireless internet connection. So 3G internet is simply 3rd generation internet. 5G is then fifth generation and newer, faster and more stable. That said, the newer \u201cgens\u201d sometimes take a little while to get off the ground and are not always available in as many areas as the older \u201cgens\u201d. Kind of like in real life – your granny is a 2G connection – she moves a little slower, but she knows what she’s doing, until she falls asleep. Your teens are the 5G connection – they are crazy fast and super hyped up – but they are not always the most reliable, and you can seldom find them when you need them.<\/p>\n
\nAn Internet Protocol (IP) address is like your computer network\u2019s identity or \u201cname\u201d on the internet. Unless you have a fixed IP address, this will change every time you log in. A typical IP address looks something like this: 207.168.0.12.<\/p>\n
\nThis is the language that the internet speaks in, kind of. It is the coding language which developers use to build websites, emails, pretty much everything you see online. Without it, you would basically see a flock of bleeps and bloops all over the place. HTML makes the internet understandable to humans. Kind of like Douglas Adam’s Babel fish, for those who are familiar with his work.<\/p>\n