Glossary of Terms
AOL Access Phone Numbers
The telephone numbers your modem dials to connect to the AOL service. See About Access Phone Numbers.
Broadband
A type of high-speed data transmission where a single wire carries several channels at the same time. See What Is Broadband?
Configuring
The process of defining the options that are available with hardware and software.
Device
A component in or attached to your computer that allows you to connect to the Internet.
Dock
The row of icons that appears by default along the bottom of the Mac screen.
Ethernet
A popular method of networking computers in a local area network, as it can be used with any kind of computer. It can provide fast and direct connections to the Internet.
Firewall
A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets.
ISP
Stands for Internet Service Provider. An Internet Service Provider provides and sells physical Internet access to individuals and companies.
LAN
Stands for Local Area Network. A LAN is a computer network covering a local area, such as a home, office, or small group of buildings.
Location
Defines your connection type, such as dial-up, as well as your connection settings, such as the phone numbers your modem will dial. See What Is a Location?
Modem
The hardware in your computer that allows you to connect to the internet via your phone line or cable television line. Most computers have dial-up modems installed in them by default.
- A dial-up modem enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines using analog signals.
- A cable modem operates over cable television lines, using coaxial cable that allows for much greater bandwidth than a basic dial-up modem.
- A DSL modem uses DSL, which stands for Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is a family of digital telecommunication protocols that allow high-speed data communication over the existing copper telephone lines between end-users and telephone companies.
Modem script
A program or file that tells certain software on your Mac how to use your modem.
Network Interface Card
A card you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network.
Router
In the context of a home or office network, routers are used as Internet gateways, allowing multiple computers in the network to share Internet access.