Learn to speak Fiber.
Check out this glossary of terms related to Fiber. Impress your friends with your new vocabulary.
Bit: Short for a ‘binary digit’, the smallest unit of digital information, either a 0, or a 1.
Cladding: The layer which surrounds the core of a fiber. The cladding is slightly less transparent than the core, and reflects light back in to the core.
Fiber (or, optical fiber): The glass construction of a fiber optic cable, consisting of the core, cladding, and buffer.
Receiver: A device containing a photodiode and signal conditioning circuitry that converts light to an electrical signal in fiber optic links.
ADSL: ADSL or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a type of high-speed Internet connectivity commonly called DSL. ADSL is asymmetric, meaning that the download speeds are greater than the upload speeds. A typical example ADSL line might have download speeds up to 6 Mbps per second, with upload speeds of 768 Kbps per second. DSL technology and equipment allow high-speed communication across normal twisted pair copper wiring. ADSL is distance limited, meaning that the farther the distance from the equipment, the slower the available speed or available bandwidth.
Throughput: The bitrate at which a quantity of data packets arrive per unit time.
Bandwidth: Bandwidth typically is defined by the maximum bitrate that data can be transmitted through a connection. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits per second ( bps ) some examples would be: Kilobits per second (kbps) & Megabits per second ( Mbps ).
Latency: The speed at which data is requested from a server and sent to your computer, measured in milliseconds (ms). Latency is the sum of the time taken in the following two steps: First, an action on your computer sends a request through the network to a server. Second, the server sends the requested information back to your computer.
Broadband: The term broadband refers to high speed Internet access that is faster and more reliable than traditional dial-up Internet access. DSL , cable, fiber optic, and even satellite are all various forms of broadband.
Cable Internet: Cable Internet typically refers to Internet service that is provided by your local cable television provider and is transmitted over coaxial cable lines.
FTTN: FTTN, or fiber-to-the-node, is when the ISP provides fiber optic transmission of data from the ISP to the local node, but the connection from the node to the service address is not fiber optic. The final run, which may be up to a mile, is normally coaxial.
FTTP: FTTP, or fiber-to-the-premises, is when the data connection is transmitted by fiber optic cable from the ISP to the actual Internet connection on the physical building receiving service. This can also be referred to as FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) or FTTB (fiber-to-the-business).
WiFi: WiFi originated as a brand term but has come to be known as a generalization for accessing the Internet by any device, without a physical connection between the device and the access point for service. WiFi can operate at 2.4, 3.6, 5 or 60 GHz on the electromagnetic spectrum.
Wireless Router: A wireless router serves the same function as a router, but has the added capability of connecting wireless compatible devices within range to the LAN to access the internet or other devices on the network.