WebJunction - Wireless Networking

10BaseT Ethernet: 10BaseT Ethernet is a standard for transmitting Ethernet signals over Twisted Pair Wiring at a Speed of 10 Million Bits Per Second (Megabits per second or Mb/s).

100BaseT Ethernet: 100BaseT Ethernet is a standard for transmitting Ethernet signals over Twisted Pair Wiring at a speed of 100 Million Bits Per Second (Megabits per second or Mb/s).

Access Point (AP): Wireless LAN transmitter/receiver that acts as a connection between wireless clients and wired networks.

Bandwidth: The size of a network "pipe" or channel for communications. Usually measured in Bits Per Second (BPS or MB/s)

Backbone: A Backbone is a single long cable to which devices are attached to form a network. In the simplest case, the devices are computers and it forms a simple network.

Bit: A Bit is the fundamental unit of digital communications. It takes a value of 0 or 1, and can be represented by an electrical signal. Communications between computers consist of strings of Bits. A small string of Bits can form a byte or a character. A longer string can make up a data Packet and its header.

Bits Per Second: Measurement of the speed of transmission of digital communications on a network. Most computer networks function at some multiple of a Million Bits Per Second (Mega Bits Per Second or Mb/s). Network communications are also grouped into bursts, or strings of bits, called Packets .

Bluetooth: A short-range wireless specification that allows for radio connections between devices within a 30-foot range of each other.

Client: Wireless device that accesses the WLAN. Can be a computer, PDA, or other hand-held device with a wireless connection.

Coaxial Cable: Cable that has a single conductor wrapped in insulation, wrapped in shielding, wrapped in more insulation. Thickwire Ethernet and Thinwire Ethernet both use Coaxial Cable. Most networks now use Fiber Optic Cable and Twisted Pair Wiring.

DSSS and FHSS: Direct-sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS): two methods by which a carrier spreads out packets of information (voice or data) over different frequencies. Used in IEEE 802.11.

Ethernet: Internatioanl standard that defines the wires-and-chips aspects of networking as well as the software aspects of how data is transmitted. It originated at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Laboratory over 25 years ago and predated the PC. Traditionally, Ethernet networks operate at 10 Mega-Bits per Second (10,000,000 Bits per second).

Fast Ethernet: Internationalstandard that defines the wires-and-chips aspects of networking as well as the software aspects of how data is transmitted. It has been developed over the last few years and increases the speed of Ethernet from 10 Mega-Bits per Second to 100.

Fiber Optic Cable: Formed of a very fine strand of very pure glass. Signals are transmitted as pulses of light rather than as electrical current. Fiber provides higher quality data transmission over longer distances with less chance of interference than copper wire.

Gigabit Ethernet: Standard for transmitting Ethernet data at one billion (Giga) bits per second. This is a standard which has just come about recently and is only just being adopted by large corporations and universities.

HiperLAN: High performance radio local area network. Developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Set of WLAN communication standards used chiefly in European countries.

IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: an organization of engineers, scientists, and students. Develops standards for networking and computing.

IEEE 802.11: Specifies the standards usedbetween a wireless client and a base station or between two wireless clients. IEEE 802.11a -- an add on to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs and provides up to 54 Mbps in the 5GHz band. IEEE 802.11b (also referred to as 802.11 High Rate or Wi-Fi) -- an add on to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANS and provides 11 Mbps transmission (all includes 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11g -- applies to wireless LANs and provides 20+ Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band.

IP(Internet Protocol): Methodfor sending and receiving data between computers on the Internet. Splits the file or message into packets. Used along with TCP.

IP Address: 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the Internet. Unique to each computer on the Internet.

Local Area Network: A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network that connects computers, printers and perhaps other devices within a department, building or house. This is generally a fairly simple network, although they can grow fairly large.

NIC: Network Interface Card - hardware installed in computing device that enables it to communicate on a network.

Packet: Data is transmitted over a network in groups or bursts called Packets. Same as single sentance or phrase in a conversation. A packet will have a header that indicates where it is from and where it is going. This header is used along the way for routing and is used by other computers to identify packets addressed to them.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol): used along with the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data in the form of packets between computers over the Internet. TCP reassembles the packets into the comlete file (message) that the computer understands.

Thickwire Ethernet: Thickwire Ethernet is a standard for transmitting Ethernet signals over Coaxial Cable at 10 Mega-Bits per Second.

Thinwire Ethernet: Thinwire Ethernet is a standard for transmitting Ethernet signals over Coaxial Cable at 10 Mega-Bits per Second.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy): a security protocol, specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard, 802.11b, that is designed to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a level of security and privacy comparable to what is usually expected of a wired LAN.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): Set of protocols that lets users of mobile phones and other digital wireless devices access Internet content, check voice mail and e-mail, receive text of faxes and conduct transactions.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN, Wireless LAN ): Uses radio frequency technology to transmit network messages through the air for relatively short distances, like across an office building or college campus.

Wireless Markup Language (WML): Similar to HTML, WML is based on XML and will run with its own version of JavaScript. Wireless application developers use WML to convert content for wireless devices.