3G: One of the technologies that allows data to be transmitted and received through wireless. Mobile broadband operates over the 3G network.

ADSL: (Asymmetric digital subscriber line) A way of sending data over a copper wire telephone line.

Cable Broadband: Virgin Media offer an alternative to ADSL broadband, it uses fibre optic cables rather than copper telephone wires.

Ethernet: A means of connecting computers together (networking) using cables

Hard Disk: The long-term storage used by your PC to store files and programs (also known as a hard drive).

ISP: (Internet Service Provider) An ISP is the company that enables and services your connection to the internet.

Mbps: (Megabits per second) A measure of the speed of data transfer, often used when talking about the speed of broadband.

Modem: The device that connects you to the internet.

Network: A series of computers connected together either using wires or wireless technology

Operating System: The software that manages your computer.

Router: A device that manages the data traffic between computers and other devices. Routers can connect computers, or connect them to the internet.

Cache: A temporary storage area such as a reserved portion of a hard disk or RAM, often used or referred to in search engines and search engine optimisation.

Cookies: Small text files exchanged between your web browser and websites you visit.

Email Client: A program that manages emails. Emails are stored on your computer, and you need to be connected to the internet only to send and receive them.

WI-FI: A computer networking technology that allows data to be transmitted via radio waves.

Anti-spyware: A piece of software that blocks and/or removes spyware.

Anti-virus: Software that scans for viruses and removes them from your computer or quarantines them.

Firewall: Software (or hardware) that blocks unwanted communication from, and often to, the internet.

Phishing: A type of scam where, in order to trick you into giving away your personal details (for example, credit card details), a web page masquerades as a trustworthy site.

Trojan: A computer virus that disguises itself as an innocent program to entice people to install it.

WORM: Similar to a virus, except a worm doesn’t need to attach itself to a document, but spreads via the internet or a network.