The unique physical serial number given by the manufacturer to every networking device used for network communication.
megabit (Mb)
1 million bits. When measured over time, this is the standard transmission rate unit for high-speed modems.
megabyte (MB)
1,048,576 bytes.
modem (modulator demodulator)
Devices that translate computer language for transmission over a communication line (such as a phone line) and back again.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
A home router translates the private IP addresses used by computers on your home network to a single public IP address assigned to your broadband modem, providing the ability for multiple computers to share a connection and also providing a degree of privacy because the computers on your home network are not able to be accessed directly from the Internet.
NIC (network interface card)
Provides the connection for a computer to either a wired or wireless network. Can be installed internally to the computer (PCI), connected externally to a USB port, or plugged into the PCMCIA slot of a laptop.
