Broadband routers aren't just for network administrators. After we looked at the packaging and documentation of these units, we could see that many of the vendors still don't get it. So we're going to translate for you.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
A networking standard that enables individual computers on an IP network to retrieve their IP addresses and other settings from a server on demand.

An emerging wireless standard that provides 54-Mbps throughput in the 5-GHz band.

The prevailing wireless standard, which provides 11-Mbps throughput in the 2.4-GHz band. Also called Wi-Fi.

A router that links two networks together.

NAT (network address translation)
A standard used for translating a single public IP address into multiple private addresses.

Port filter
A feature that limits the types of traffic that move through the network based on port addresses. For example, Web traffic uses port 80, and POP e-mail uses port 110.

Print server
A device that allows printer sharing on a network.

A networking device that uses a routing table to forward packets and establish the best route between any two hosts or networks.

SPI (stateful packet inspection)
A type of firewall that uses either a predefined or an editable rule set to determine whether packets are going to be forwarded or denied.

A device that forwards packets between nodes on the same network.

VPN (virtual private network)
A device or software that creates an encrypted tunnel for moving private data securely across the Internet.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
A wireless security protocol.