All the questions below are pretty much jargon free and easy to understand 

Why "Up to"? - what does it mean?

As in: up to 2Mb

This one's all about Broadband speed. A few things can affect it, like:

• The number of people on a website at any one time
• The performance of your computer
• The number of people sharing your network at any one time
• How far you are from the telephone exchange, if your broadband comes down a phone line (ADSL). This doesn't affect cable broadband though.

All this means no one can guarantee your broadband speed for sure.

What are KB, MB, GB and Mbps?

Data is measured in bytes. Kilobytes (Smallest) , Megabytes (Bigger) and Gigabytes (Huge):

• 1,024 bytes = 1 kilobyte (KB)
• 1,024 kilobytes = 1 megabyte (MB)
• 1,024 megabytes = 1 gigabyte (GB)

Speed is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps).  See the virtual riders broadband page to get an idea of how much speed you need.

What's a usage cap? Or a download limit?

Same thing really. Caps and limits just stop you downloading more than a certain amount of stuff from the internet.  Some providers don’t limit how much you can download.  See the virtual riders broadband page for more details.

What's an ISP?

'Internet Service Provider's all it means. The people you get your internet from, like Karoo or BT.

What's ADSL?

'Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line'. Well, you did ask!

What's bandwidth?

The speed at which data moves between your computer and the internet.
Bigger the bandwidth, faster the experience.

What's VOIP?

'Voice Over Internet Protocol.' A way you can make phone calls over the internet.

What's a firewall?

Looks at what's coming and going from your computer and blocks anything suspicious.

What's a 'Pop-up blocker'

Every now and then, when you're surfing, an unwanted message might'pop-up' on a website. They're usually adverts. This lets you choose if you want them or not.

What's Anti-Virus?

Some email attachments and websites may contain computer programmes called viruses. They can damage your computer or its contents. Anti-Virus software protects you from them. Just as well, really!

What's spyware?

You don't want this on your computer. It's software that snoops around at your personal stuff. Don't worry, you can get software to protect you from all this. Sometimes it's free as part of a package.

What's a router and what does it do?

This is a box that allows you to transfer data between different computers and networks.

What's a Modem?

Sometimes it's inside your computer. Sometimes it's outside. It lets you send and receive files from the internet.

What's wireless?

Wireless means you can go online anywhere in the house. It also means that several people can go online at the same time and no more messy wires around the house.