Common Network Jargon Terms

Computer networking is filled with jargon that isn’t self-explanatory. Here’s a quick overview of many of the terms you’ll see when you glance at the network status information on any device.

We’re definitely simplifying things a bit here — this isn’t an in-depth look at any one term.



ISP
Your Internet service provider is the company that provides you with your Internet connection. For example, your ISP may be Comcast, Time Warner, or whatever other company you’re paying each month.

LAN
A local area network is a small network that’s confined to a local area. For example, your home network or an office network is a LAN.

WAN
A wide area network is a larger network that covers a wider area. Your ISP provides you with a connection to their own WAN, which connects to the Internet.

IP Address
An Internet Protocol address, or IP address, is a numerical address that corresponds to your computer on a network. When a computer wants to connect to another computer, it connects to that computer’s IP address.

IPv4 and IPv6
There are two types of IP address in common use. Older IPv4 (IP version 4) addresses are the most common, followed by newer IPv6 (IP version 6) addresses. IPv6 is necessary because we just don’t have enough IPv4 addresses for all the people and devices in the world.

Do router login