802.11 wireless networks:
These are also called Wi-Fi networks or wireless home networks. There are 3 variations namely 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. It is used to connect to Xbox Live along with Bluetooth for wireless networks. This helps to connect other external devices like printers and cameras.

Access point:
Access points, or AP’s, are nothing but base stations, hubs or routers. It acts as a central station that manages information transmitted between the devices.

Ad hoc connection:
These use direct communication between devices. These are specific connections for specialized transmission of data.

ATM:
Asynchronous Transfer Mode-It provides high-speed transfer of data- audio, video or multimedia in real time.

Bandwidth:
The maximum amount of information that can be transmitted over a period of time.

Bridge:
This helps a wired network to get connected to a wireless networks without any problems. Thus its enables the use of shared device.

Broadband:
An internet connection with more than 56 Kb’s of speed for transmission of data.

Cable:
Used for connecting two devices.

CAT5:
An Ethernet cable standard provided by the Electronic Industries Association and Telecommunications Industry Association (EIA/TIA). It is the fifth generation of twisted pair Ethernet cabling used in all twisted pair cables.

DHCP:
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol enables the router to assign temporary Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for connecting online.

Dial-up:
Using a modem or a public telephone network to connect to a network or internet where speed is not a criterion. It basically needs a telephone connection.

DNS:
Domain Name Service is an Internet service that helps to translate domain names into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

Domain name:
An alphabetic name that is better to remember than a numeric name.

DSL:
Digital Subscriber Line that allows higher speeds in broadband than dial up. ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is most commonly used.

Dynamic IP address:
The randomly allocated address when a user moves into a network each time.

Ethernet:
Technology used to transmit information between computers at speeds of 10–100 mbps.

Ethernet in:
It’s the Ethernet input.

Ethernet out:
It’s the Ethernet output. These are connected to share devices.

Ethernet cable:
These cables are used to transmit data at high speeds over a local area network (LAN). There are three types of cables-fiber optic, coaxial, and twisted pair.

Ethernet port:
External connector to which an Ethernet cable can be attached too like RJ-45.

External modem:
External connected modems other than the inbuilt ones on the computer.

Firewall:
It acts as a protective boundary between a network and the external thus blocking traffic. Usually the operating systems come with firewalls enabled in them.

Fire wire:
A networking standard based on serial bus architecture with high performance.

Firmware:
It implements a portion of the administrative capabilities, network protocols, and security mechanisms of the hardware devices in both wired and wireless modes.

Gateway:
A gateway integrates internet through a router.

Home network:
Local area network (LAN) with two or more devices connected through routers.

Host name:
A readable name assigned to computers for easy understanding. It’s easier to refer.

Hub:
It’s a common connection point for two ore more devices as in case of an Ethernet hub.

Infrastructure network:
In this network, a wireless access point or gateway or router connects the wireless home network  to the  internet.

IP:
Internet Protocol is a numerical label assigned to the computer that communicates with the other network.

IP address:
It’s the identity of a device connected to Internet. The format is a 32-bit numeric address separated by periods with each number can be between 0–255.

ISDN:
Integrated Services Digital Network. Known as dial-up -is an international communication standard that allows access to a network or the Internet through digital and regular telephone lines. It’s a slower connection.

ISP:
Internet Service Provider. It’s an organization which provides access to the internet.

LAN:
Local Area Network. Connects the computers present in the same building or over a small area.

Latency:
The time a computer waits before a downloading or other request starts. It depends on the bandwidth.

MAC, MAC address:
Media Access Control. Unique address to identify a hardware device.

Modem:
Modulator-demodulator enables data transmission over the internet.

MTU:
Maximum Transmission Unit. It’s the size of data sent over internet.

NAT:
Network Address. A method used in local area network (LAN) to share a single global IP address between multiple devices at home.

NIC:
Network Interface Card. Ethernet adapter installed for connecting to a LAN.

PCI card:
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Universal Serial Bus (USB) is used for plugging in external equipment.

Port:
It’s a Connection point for cables like connectors.

PPP:
Point-to-Point Protocol. Transfer data between computer and the Internet.

Protocol:
Rules created for computers to connect and exchange information in a transparent way.

RJ-11 connector:
Telephonic cables for LAN.

RJ-45 connector:
A modular connector used for Ethernet.

Router:
It enables many devices to connect to a network or internet at a time.

Server:
A device or a group of devices that manages networks resources.

Subnet mask:
It separates the network and host and is represented by a 32 bit number.