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Authorized Viasat™ Retailer

Get Rural is an authorized retailer of Viasat Internet services and related customer equipment. Viasat and Exede are trademarks and service marks of Viasat, Inc. Some content on this website may be copyrighted by Viasat, Inc.

Authorized Viasat™ Retailer

Get Rural is an authorized retailer of Viasat Internet services and related customer equipment. Viasat and Exede are trademarks and service marks of Viasat, Inc. Some content on this website may be copyrighted by Viasat, Inc.

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Viasat Satellite Internet Glossary

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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1 Mbps Upload:

Short for “1 Megabit per second” upload (also known as 1 Mbps on the upstream), means that the data rate of sending/uploading documents, files or programs from your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 1 megabits per second.

2.4 GHz Wireless Band:

Most wireless network equipment use radio signals in either a 2.4 GHz range or a 5 GHz range. While older routers only support the 2.4 GHz band, the new Viasat WiFi Gateway Modem, gives you a choice of either band. The 2.4 GHz frequency has an extensive range and can easily pass through obstacles like walls. However, since most devices use this, the high-traffic band is prone to interference, narrow, busy, noisy and, as a result, slower and less stable. It’s the interstate of bandwidths for most household devices such as: baby monitors, car alarms, garage-door openers, microwave ovens, security cameras, wireless headphones, etc. The 2.4 GHz band is ideal for long range and better obstacle penetration. Recommended for email, some browsing and similar low-bandwidth consuming functions.

3G:

3G refers to the “third generation” of cellular data standards. Cell phone companies often market mobile phones as “3G devices” but there is no single 3G standard. 3G is a broad label given to cellular technologies that support data transfer rates of 14.4 Mbps or faster. Most cell phone networks support both 3G and 4G technologies (see “4G” below).

3 Mbps Upload:

Short for “3 Megabits per second”  upload (also known as 3 Mbps on the upstream), means that the data rate of sending/uploading documents, files or programs from your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 3 megabits per second.

4G:

The fourth generation of cellular data standards. Like 3G, there is no single 4G technology. Instead, 4G is an umbrella of technologies that conform to the requirements established by the International Telecommunications Union. All 4G devices must support a data transfer rate of at least 100 Mbps. 4G networks and devices were first available in the U.S. in 2009. Sprint was the first company to offer 4G service, followed by Verizon, AT&TT-Mobile and Xfinity.

5 GHz Wireless Band:

Most wireless network equipment use radio signals in either a 2.4 GHz range or a 5 GHz range. While older routers only support the 2.4 GHz band, the new Viasat WiFi Gateway Modem, gives you a choice of either band. The 5 GHz band can move a lot of data quickly, but has a shorter range and cannot easily penetrate solid objects. It is however broader, less congested and much faster with higher throughput for streaming functions. For instance, if you’re using your tablet on 5 GHz and move to another room in your house, the connection might drop. Because it’s used almost exclusively for WiFi networks, it performs better than 2.4 GHz. And with 23 non-overlapping channels, it offers almost 8X as much capacity as the 3-channel, 2.4 GHz band. It’s ideal for laptops, phones, tablets and other data devices used in small, open spaces. And recommended for indoor music & video streaming. NOTE: Not all of devices are 5GHz compatible.

7-Zip:

An open-source software used to place groups of files within compressed containers known as “archives”. Available for download free of charge, even for commercial use, 7-Zip can pack and unpack just about any compressed or decompressed file.  Compressed, zipped files can be sent and received faster online as well as encrypted and password-protected for added security. 7-Zip uses its own 7z archive format, but can read and write several other archive formats. Therefore, you can also use 7-Zip to make self-extracting compressed archives that can be sent electronically to others without having to worry about what software they have installed. 7-Zip is free software available to download at the 7-Zip.org  website.

12 Mbps Download:

Short for “12 Megabits per second” download (also known as 12 Mbps on the downstream), means that files & programs that are being sent to your your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 12 megabits per second.

25 Mbps Download:

Short for “25 Megabits per second” download (also known as 25 Mbps on the downstream), means that files & programs that are being sent to your your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 25 megabits per second.

30 Mbps Download:

Short for “30 Megabits per second” download (also known as 30 Mbps on the downstream), means that files & programs that are being sent to your your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 30 megabits per second.

50 Mbps Download:

Short for “50 Megabits per second” download (also known as 50 Mbps on the downstream), means that files & programs that are being sent to your your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 50 megabits per second.

100 Mbps Download:

Short for “100 Megabits per second” download (also known as 100 Mbps on the downstream), means that files & programs that are being sent to your your computer or other connected devices through the internet will be at a rate of 100 megabits per second.

802.11a:

This is a wireless (WiFi) standard developed by the IEEE for transmitting data over a wireless network. It uses a 5 GHz band and allows data to be transferred up to 54 Mbps. Other standards within the 802.11 family include 802.11b, which transfers data up to 11 Mbps and uses a 2.4 GHz band, 802.11g, which also uses a 2.4 GHz band, but can transfer data up to 54 Mbps,  the 802.11n, which can transfer data over 100 Mbps , and the 802.11ac, which transfers data up to 500 Mbps and uses a 5 GHz band.

802.11ac:

This is the most current wireless (WiFi) standard in the 802.11 family developed by the IEEE that provides high-throughput “wireless local area networks” (WLANs) on the 5 GHz band. This technology effectively supercharges the range of a your wireless devices. A single 802.11ac router will cover an entire household, whereas an older router might require additional routers to bridge the signal.

While the previous standards supported transfer rates of up to 100 Mbps, devices that use 802.11ac can transfer data at least 500 Mbps. This is accomplished by extending the air-interface concepts embraced by 802.11n: wider RF bandwidth (up to 160 MHz), more MIMO spatial streams (up to eight), downlink multi-user MIMO (up to four clients) and high-density modulation (up to 256-QAM).

The Viasat WiFi Gateway Modem uses the 802.11ac, which is considered a supercharged version of 802.11n (see “802.11n ” below).  To learn more about the Viasat WiFi Modem click here.

NOTE: With the fast speeds and large range that 802.11ac provides, it is important to password protect your wireless network.

802.11b:

This is a wireless (WiFi) standard developed by the IEEE for transmitting data over a wireless network. It operates on a 2.4 GHz band and allows for wireless data transfers up to 11 Mbps. A faster standard, called 802.11g (see below), was introduced a few years after 802.11b and supports data transfer rates up to 54 Mbps. This can make a difference in the speed of data transfers within a local network, but if your internet access is often limited to around 5 Mbps, a 802.11b wireless connection will not be a bottleneck for internet access. Most wireless networks are based on either 802.11b or 802.11g, however, the Viasat WiFi Gateway Modem uses the 802.11ac (see “802.11ac” above), which is considered a supercharged version of 802.11n.

802.11g:

This is a wireless (WiFi) standard developed by the IEEE for transmitting data over a wireless network. It operates on a 2.4 GHz bandwidth and supports data transfer rates up to 54 Mbps. 802.11g is backward compatible with 802.11b hardware, but if there are any 802.11b-based computers on the network, the entire network will have to run at 11 Mbps (the max speed that 802.11b supports). You can configure your 802.11g wireless router to only accept 802.11g devices, which will ensure that your network runs at its top speed.

802.11n:

802.11n is a wireless (WiFi) standard developed by the IEEE that supports a longer range and higher wireless transfer rates than the previous standard, 802.11g. 802.11n devices support MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) data transfers, which can transmit multiple streams of data at once. This technology effectively doubles the range of a wireless device. Therefore, a wireless router that uses 802.11n may have twice the radius of coverage as an 802.11g router. This means a single 802.11n router may cover an entire household, whereas an 802.11g router might require additional routers to bridge the signal. While the previous 802.11g standard supported transfer rates of up to 54 Mbps, devices that use 802.11n can transfer data over 100 Mbps. With an optimized configuration, the 802.11n standard can theoretically support transfer rates of up to 500 Mbps. That is five times faster than a standard 100 Base-T wired Ethernet network.

360p:

Considered low-definition video quality, 360p video is made up of 360 lines stacked one on top of another from top to bottom, with each line being 480 pixels wide. A 360p has a video screen resolution of 480 × 360 pixels. Streaming at 360p is mostly reserved for videos that are typically viewed on mobile and smaller devices. Smart phones, tablets or small TVs (40-inch screen or smaller) can stream video using 360p video screen resolution. Videos at 360p are well-suited for mobile devices since they use less data. However, you should be aware that images viewed at 360p may appear a bit blurry on larger screens and TVs.

480p:

Considered DVD quality, 480p video is made up of 480 lines stacked one on top of another from top to bottom, with each line being 640 pixels wide. A 480p has a video screen resolution of 640 × 480 pixels. 480p is recommended for viewing DVDs and streaming video on most laptop and desktop monitors and standard (non-HD) TVs. Households with multiple connected mobile devices and people who tend to stream video on their laptops, tablets or standard size TVs can stream most videos at 480p video screen resolution. Shows that don’t have a lot of fast action scenes or high-def graphics look just fine at 480p DVD quality.

720p:

Considered true high-definition (HD) video quality, 720p video is made up of 720 lines stacked one on top of another from top to bottom, with each line being 1,280 pixels wide. A 720p has a video screen resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels, meaning that it is more than twice as sharp as a the same video at 480p and can be viewed on much larger screens and HD TVs. A HD 720p video is crisp, sharp and looks amazing on most displays. Video streaming at 720p or higher is ideal for watching movies and programs on big screens. Plus, most HDTV channels broadcast at a 720p video screen resolution. Households with multiple HD devices running and people who want the best quality regardless of the device they use are advised to choose a Viasat plan that provides 720p. In addition to HD TVs, 720p is recommended for streaming movies & videos that have a lot of fast action scenes and high-res graphics.

1080p:

Considered full HD video quality, 1080p video is made up of 1,080 lines stacked one on top of another from top to bottom, with each line being 1,920 pixels wide. A 1080p has a video screen resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, meaning that it will provide the clearest, sharpest video image possible and recommended for streaming videos on larger screens and HD TVs, since it will give your audience the highest possible quality display, with vivid, crystal clear playback. Plus 1080p video screen resolution is another favorite for HDTV stations.

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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A

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP): The Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project is a Google-run website publishing technology and includes numerous search, social and web publishing platforms around the world.  It is an open-source library that designed as a straightforward way to create web pages that are compelling, smooth, and load near instantaneously for users. AMP web …

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B

B2B: Business to business (B2B), also called “B to B”, is a form of transaction between businesses, such as one involving a manufacturer and wholesaler, or a wholesaler and a retailer. Business to business refers to business that is conducted between companies, rather than between a company and individual consumers. Business to business stands in …

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C

Cable: Also known as “cable” or “cable internet” a cable modem transmits digital data over existing cable television lines. Brighthouse,  Charter Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Suddenlink and Time Warner Cable are all examples of cable internet service providers. Not to be confused with cable TV, which broadcasts television programing, cable modems are used for connecting …

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D

Data: Information in the form a computer or smart device like a cell phone can use. Whenever you access the internet you use data — whether it is browsing the web, playing a game, sending an email, streaming music or watching a video. Data is measured in bytes (see “bytes” below). Data Allowance: The amount of …

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E

E2EE: End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a method of secure communication that prevents third-parties from accessing data while it is transferred from one end system or device to another. In E2EE, the data is encrypted on the sender’s system or device and only the recipient is able to decrypt it. E-commerce: Electronic-commerce (E-commerce) refers to business …

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F

Facebook: A popular free social media site that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send instant messages (IMs) and keep in touch with friends, family, classmates and work colleagues. Facebook is available in almost 40 different languages and includes several public & local features such as Facebook Business pages, Fan pages, …

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G

Gateway: The Viasat network includes a number of gateways on the ground around the U.S. The gateways connect the satellite to the internet. Each gateway has a large antenna that transmits the internet signal from the ground to the ViaSat satellite and back again. Geosynchronous Orbit: Often referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), …

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H

Hangouts: Online DM communication software app developed by Google and part of G-Suite that allows users to initiate and participate in text messaging, voice or video chats, either one-on-one or in a group. Hangouts is built into Gmail. Mobile Hangouts apps are also available for Apple iOS and Android devices Hard Disk: When you save …

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I

I/O Devices: Input and output devices are collectively referred to as I/O devices. ICF: Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) is a Windows XP feature that protects computers connected to the internet from unauthorized access. When ICF is enabled, Windows keeps a log of incoming requests from other systems on the Internet. If the request is something …

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J

Java: Java refers to a programming language. The syntax of Java is object-oriented and structured around classes instead of functions. Java can also be used for programming applets or small programs that can be embedded in websites. The language is becoming increasingly popular among both web and software developers since it is efficient and easy …

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K

Kbps: Kilobits Per Second (Kbps), not to be confused with Kilobytes per second (which is 8 times more data per second). This term is commonly used in describing data transfer rates. For example, two common modem speeds are 33.6 Kbps and 56 Kbps. Kickstarter: A public-benefit that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity …

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L

LAN: Local Access Network (LAN) is a computer network that usually spans a relatively small area (for example, just your local business, home or farm) and makes it easy to share information between a router, computers, smartphones, printers and other connected devices within the LAN. Most often, a LAN is confined to a single room, …

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M

MAC Address: A Media Access Control (MAC) Address is a unique number found on any connected device. Your computer has one, your smartphone has one, and even our Viasat modem has one. Similar to a serial number, a MAC address identifies each individual device connected to a network, but unlike an IP address, the MAC …

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N

Netflix: A  DVD rental and internet-based video-on-demand streaming service. For a monthly fee Netflix mails DVD and Blu-ray rentals discs within the U.S. with a postage paid return envelope or you can use your ;Netflix service to streaming videos online via the internet. Netflix ;offers a variety of movies, TV programs and original programing for …

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O

Offline: When a computer or other device is not turned on or connected to other devices, it is said to be “offline”. This is the opposite of being “online”, when a device can readily communicate with other devices. For example, if you try to print to your printer and you get an error saying, “The …

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P

P2P: A Peer to Peer (P2P) network consists of all the computer systems or the “peers” that are connected to each other via the internet. Files can be shared directly between systems on the P2P network without the need of a central server. In other words, each computer on a P2P network becomes a file …

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Q

Quora: A Q&A platform that empowers people to share and grow the forum’s knowledge database. People use Quora to ask questions about any subject, read high quality facts and information that is personalized and relevant to users and share their own knowledge with others. Quora is crowd-sourced forum where questions are asked, answered, edited and …

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R

RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) refers to the on-the-fly storage your computer or other devices use to run programs and store data as you are working on it. The more RAM you have, the more smoothly and quickly your device will operate, especially when you have more than a few programs open and running. Readme: …

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S

Safari: A web browser developed by Apple, based on the WebKit engine. First released in 2003 with Mac OS X Panther, a mobile version of Safari has been included in iOS devices since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. Safari is the default browser on all Apple and MAC devices. SAN: Storage Area Network (SAN) …

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T

T1: This is a data transfer system that transfers digital signals at 1.544 Mbps (quite a bit faster than a 56K modem, which maxes out at around 0.056 Mbps). Because of the T1’s large bandwidth, hundreds of people can access the internet from one T1 line. Many businesses and some colleges will use a T1 …

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U

uBlock Origin: The uBlock Origin is a Viasat Browser free extension (appearing as the red shield in the right hand corner of the browser). This is used by the Viasat Browser to keep annoying ads and pop-ups from cluttering web pages and ruining your internet browsing experience. uBlock also protects you from potential Malware hidden …

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V

VANET: Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is a type of MANET that allows vehicles to communicate with roadside equipment. While the vehicles may not have a direct internet connection, the wireless roadside equipment may be connected to the internet, allowing data from the vehicles to be sent over the internet. The vehicle data may be …

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W

W3C: The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where member organizations, a full-time staff and the public work together to develop and crowd-source web standards. W3C’s mission is to lead the internet to its full potential. W3C Standards: An Open Web Platform for application development that has the unprecedented potential to enable …

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X

XHTML: Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) evolved from the hypertext markup language (see “HTML”) used for creating web pages. It is based on the HTML 4.0 syntax, but has been modified to follow the guidelines of XML (see “XML” below). Therefore, XHTML 1.0 is sometimes referred to as HTML 5.0. Because XHTML is extensible, web …

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Y

Yahoo: Yahoo! is a web services provider headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and owned by Verizon Communications. Yahoo’s web search engine is one of the internet’s longest running popular search engines. Yahoo offers several other services as well including: Yahoo! Finance – stock quotes & financial information Yahoo! Groups – organized discussions among internet users Yahoo! …

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Z

Zillow: Zillow Group, or simply Zillow, is an online real estate database company. A leader in the real estate marketplace, Zillow allows users to search millions of for-sale and rental listings, compare Zestimate® home values and connect with local professionals via the Zillow.com website or mobile app. Zip: An archive file format that supports lossless …

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