ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a popular broadband media for both commercial and residential internet users in America. For the most part, anyone with a normal telephone line will usually have the ability to purchase ADSL from their telephone provider. ADSL works via normal phone lines and you can usually talk with your normal phone as you surf the internet. Speeds of ADSL vary, but are usually in the range of 128Kbps to over 5 Mbps when downloading data. Uploading is much slower, usually about 56K to 1 or 2 Mbps depending on the configuration. A normal dial up modem usually is only 56Kbps, so the fastest ADSL broadband connections deliver speeds that can be up to 89 times faster or more. It is also important to note that ADSL is usually marketed as DSL to make the name of the product sound less confusing. ADSL usually costs from about $30 to $60 per month.

Amplifiers make sound louder. This technology enables headsets to be used with corded phones and phone systems. Plantronics manufactures and markets a wide selection of corded, stand-alone amplifiers, such as the M12 and A20. Amplifiers are also included as part of a headset system, such as the S12 and S20. The CA10 is an amplifier for a cordless headset system.

Plantronics recently introduced the new, behind-the-head neckband accessory that adds a unique wearing style to DuoPro® (H181, H181N) and DuoSet® (H141/H141N) headsets. The neckband offers a fresh alternative for those looking for a contemporary wearing style.

Bluetooth™ is an amazing new wireless technology using short-range radio links that promises to eliminate the cables and wires that currently connect most computing and communications devices.

Broadband is a term that is used consistently with different types of internet connections. Broadband in telecommunications means a wide range of frequencies that are available to transmit information. This ultimately means that the wider the range of frequencies available, the high the amount of information that can be sent at one given time. For an easy way to picture a broadband internet connection compared to a narrowband internet connection, think of a highway. With a one lane highway (narrowband), only one car at a time can travel, however with broadband, you can have a highway with 6 or 8 lanes, allowing more traffic to pass at one specific time.

If you have cable TV, you already know that TV signals are piped in through the cable running from the cable company into your home. Your internet broadband connection runs via these preexisting cables. Cable broadband is a very popular product in America and in some markets much more popular than ADSL. Speeds of Cable broadband vary, but are usually from 2 Mbps to over 8 Mbps. Download speeds are much faster than upload speeds and the cost is very similar to ADSL.

Proprietary Plantronics technology, Call Clarity is an electronic signal processing and noise reduction system found in our amplifiers that enhances transmit and receive quality.

Web conferencing is a group meeting where multiple participants use web-based text messaging to communicate with each other. Web conferencing can be an alternative to teleconferencing, or the two can be combined to provide an even better conferencing experience. This is particularly true when the teleconferencing capability is provided using Voice Over IP technology. Web conferencing software typically includes features which allow participants to display part or all of their computer desktops with other conference users. This is often used for demonstrations and slide presentations. Market leaders in web conferencing software include WebEx and Microsoft Live Meeting.

Convertible headsets offer the choice of two wearing styles, usually over-the-head for stability or over-the-ear for easy on/off convenience. These headsets can easily be "converted" from one style to the other in a few simple steps. Plantronics convertible headsets include the DuoPro® (H171/H171N), the DuoSet® (H141/H141N), and the M170/M175 mobile headsets.

DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. It is an international standard technology that is reliable, robust and secure. It can be deployed as a multi-cell solution that allows for automatic, seamless and secure handover between access points.

DECT 6.0 is the North-American version of DECT technology, recently approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It uses the frequency band of 1920 - 1930 MHz.

DNS (Domain Name System), is the service which translates between Internet names and Internet addresses. Internet names are the names which we use to refer to hosts on the Internet, such as www.google.com. Internet addresses are the numbers which routers use to move traffic across the Internet, such as 216.239.37.99.

Earbud style describes a small, discreet headset with a speaker that fits in the ear and the microphone positioned along the cord. The H132N office headset, as well as the MX100 and the M205 mobile headsets are some examples.

Firefly is the unique in-use indicator light that lets others know you are on the phone. No more interruptions! You can find it on the CT12 cordless headset telephone.

Leased lines are usually the answer for large businesses and organizations such as colleges and universities. They are large cables (usually fiber optic) that carry large loads of data. While the first leased lines sometimes referred to as T-1 lines carried about 1.5 Mbps several decades ago, today's leased lines approach half a gigabyte or more per second. The cost varies, based on many factors and its use for residential consumers is usually very cost prohibitive.

Mean time between failures (MTBF) is the predicted elapsed time between inherent failures of a system during operation. MTBF can be calculated as the arithmetic mean (average) time between failures of a system. The MTBF is typically part of a model that assumes the failed system is immediately repaired (zero elapsed time), as a part of a renewal process. This is in contrast to the mean time to failure (MTTF), which measures average time between failures with the modeling assumption that the failed system is not repaired. The definition of MTBF depends on the definition of what is considered a system failure. For complex, repairable systems, failures are considered to be those out of design conditions which place the system out of service and into a state for repair. Failures which occur that can be left or maintained in an unrepaired condition, and do not place the system out of service, are not considered failures under this definition. In addition, units that are taken down for routine scheduled maintenance or inventory control, are not considered within the definition of failure.

Noise-canceling refers to a microphone design that greatly reduces the transmission of background noise, enhancing headset sound quality. Noise-canceling headsets are especially effective for offices with employees in close proximity to one another. In mobile applications, noise-canceling microphones reduce background noise in cars, airports or on the street.

Over-the-ear is used to describe Plantronics headsets that have over-the-ear earloops or other devices to hold headsets in place. TriStar®, Mirage® and the M130 are some examples.

When it's important to help filter or screen out background sound, you should consider over-the-head binaural headsets, such as the Supra® (H61/H61N) headset and Encore® (H101/H101N) headset. This style provides sound transmission to both ears.

Plantronics monaural headsets, on the other hand, deliver sound to one ear. Unless it says otherwise, Plantronics headsets are monaural.

A proxy server manages traffic between your network and servers on the Internet, and determines whether network packets are allowed to pass through to the network. When a client computer makes a request, the proxy server translates the request and passes it on to the Internet. When a computer on the Internet responds, the proxy server passes the response back to the client computer.

On H-Series headsets, the Quick Disconnect™ (QD) Connector is at the end of the headset cable that lets you disconnect your headset from an active call when you need to grab a fax or file, then easily reconnect. With the QD, there's no need to put the call on hold or remove your headset.

Satellite broadband is usually one of the only ways to receive broadband internet access if you live in a rural area. You use a satellite dish with some special hardware to receive and send data to a satellite in earth's orbit. This service is usually more expensive than others, not only requiring a special satellite dish and special equipment, but also higher fees than cable or ADSL options. Usually speeds vary from 128kbs to about 2 Mbps.

SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line). One of the problems with ADSL is that the download speeds are much quicker than the upload speeds (usually by 100% or more). For consumers or businesses that upload lots of data this can create problems. SDSL is very similar to DSL service, in that it is provided by your telephone company over preexisting telephone lines, however, SDSL has uploads speeds that are the same as download speeds. Meaning if you have 1Mbps download, you will also have 1Mbps upload speeds. It is important to note that SDSL requires an additional phone line for this service to work properly. However, for most businesses, it is well worth the expense. SDSL can be more costly than ADSL and can cost from about $60 to $100 per month or more for residential customers.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an IETF standard multimedia conferencing protocol, which includes voice, video, and data conferencing, for use over packet-switched networks. SIP is not a vertically integrated communications system. SIP is rather a component that can be used with other IETF protocols to build a complete multimedia architecture. SIP is an open standard replacement for the ITU's H.323. SIP is described in RFC 3621 - SIP: Session Initiation Protocol. SIP is an application-layer control (signaling) protocol for creating, modifying, and terminating sessions with one or more participants. These sessions include Internet telephone calls, multimedia distribution, and multimedia conferences. SIP invitations used to create sessions carry session descriptions that allow participants to agree on a set of compatible media types. SIP makes use of elements called proxy servers to help route requests to the user's current location, authenticate and authorize users for services, implement provider call-routing policies, and provide features to users. SIP also provides a registration function that allows users to upload their current locations for use by proxy servers. SIP runs on top of several different transport protocols.

A SIP transaction occurs between a client and a server and comprises all messages from the first request sent from the client to the server up to a final (non-1xx) response sent from the server to the client. If the request is INVITE and the final response is a non-2xx, the transaction also includes an ACK to the response. The ACK for a 2xx response to an INVITE request is a separate transaction.

An automatic gain control system found in Plantronics amplifiers, SoundGuard Plus provides natural voice tone and removes loud tones, as well as occasional noises and crackles on the line.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is simply the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks. The Internet Protocol (IP) was originally designed for data networking. The success of IP in becoming a world standard for data networking has led to its adaption to voice networking.

A VoIP Gateway, or Voice over IP Gateway, is a network device which helps to convert voice and fax calls, in real time, between an IP network and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). It is a high performance gateway designed for Voice over IP applications. Typically, a VoIP gateway comes with the ability to support at least two T1/E1 digital channels. Most VoIP gateways feature at least one Ethernet and telephone port. Controlling a gateway can be done with the help of the various protocols like MGCP, SIP or LTP.

Just like wireless telephones transmit data from one phone to another, so can wireless broadband. While it is not as popular due to the availability and newness of the technology, it is becoming more widespread. Usually all that is required is to connect your wireless phone to your laptop computer, essentially making your mobile phone a wireless modem. Speeds vary, but you can usually find speeds from 128 Kbps to about 2 Mbps for downloading data. Expect this technology to boom in the coming years and for speeds to increase as well. Prices also vary, but range from about $60 to about $200.