Glossary

(Write only the Key terms of your project/thesis

with definition)
1. Fidelity: Fidelity is a notion that at its most abstract level implies a truthful
connection to a source.

2. Frequency: The number of cycles per unit of time is called the frequency.

3. PDA: personal digital assistants.

4. VoIP : Voice over Internet Protocol.

5. IEEE: "Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers." A professional

organization that helps set transmission system standards.

6. Radio Band: A band is a small section of the spectrum of radio communication

frequencies, in which channels are usually used or set aside for the same purpose.

7. 10BaseT: Ethernet specification for unshielded twisted pair cable (category 3, 4,

or 5), transmits signals at 10 Mbps (megabits per second) with a distance limit of 100
meters per segment.

8. Transceiver: A communication device capable of both transmitting and

receiving.

9. 125 High Speed Mode: 54g performance enhancement that delivers the industry's
fastest wireless throughput in real-world environments. It is designed for home
networks that require high-speed throughput for multimedia applications, such as
sharing digital pictures.

10. 802.11: The standard that defines the technology used for wireless LAN products.
The original standard was ratified by the IEEE in 1997, and specified products with a
maximum data rate of 2 Mbps. Since then, the standard has expanded to define faster
wireless systems.

11. 802.11a: The IEEE standard for wireless LAN products that specifies data rates
up to 54 Mbps in the 5 GHz band. 802.11a products are not compatible with those

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 based on 802.11b or 802.11g and their range is approximately half that of 802.11b/g
products.

12. 802.11b: The IEEE standard for wireless LAN products that specifies data rates
up to 11 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11b was the first widely-accepted Wi-Fi
technology, but has now been replaced by the faster 802.11g standard.

13. 802.11e: An IEEE standard that adds Quality of Service (QoS) features and
multimedia support to the existing 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a wireless networks.

14. 802.11g: The IEEE standard for wireless LAN products that specifies data rates
up to 54 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11g is now the mainstream technology for
wireless networks in the home, office and public places.

15. 802.11i: The IEEE standard specifying security mechanisms for 802.11 networks.
802.11i makes use of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and includes
improvements in key management, user authentication through 802.1X and data
integrity of headers.

16. 802.11n: The forthcoming IEEE standard for wireless LAN products that may
specify data rates up to 500 Mbps, and throughput between 100 and 200 Mbps. The
802.11n standard utilizes MIMO technology along with other techniques to improve
efficiency.

17. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): The preferred standard for the
encryption of commercial and government data using a symmetric block data
encryption technique. It is specified in the 802.11i security standard and used in the
implementation of WPA2.

18. Access Point (AP): Wi-Fi enabled computers typically connect to wire networks
by means of an access point, a wireless device whose primary function is to
consolidate multiple wireless connections, serving as an intermediary between
wireless devices and high-speed wired networks. Access points are connected to a
wired network with an Ethernet cable.

19. Ad-Hoc: An old term used to describe a device-to-device network in which

devices communicate between one another without going through a router or access
point (also known as a peer-to-peer network).

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20. Authentication: The process to verify the identity of a wireless client or end user
and allow it access to the network.

21. Bandwidth: The maximum transmission capacity of a communication channel at

any time (usually measured in bits per second). If you compare the communications
channel to a pipe, bandwidth represents the pipe width and determines how much
data can flow through the pipe at any one time.

22. Bridge: A wireless device that connects multiple networks together.

23. Broadband Modem: Broadband modems act as gateways for high speed network
access in the home and small business, facilitating a broadband connection through
cable or DSL connection. Some broadband modems are beginning to incorporate Wi-
Fi capabilities, replacing the need for an access point or router.

24. Client: Any computer connected to a network that requests files and services from
the server or other devices on the network. The term also refers to end users in a
network.

25. Data Rate: Pre-determined rates set in the 802.11 standard that provide for
systematic speed decrease to maintain a connection as the client moves farther away
from the access point. The OFDM data rates include: 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 11, 9, 6,
5.5, 2 and 1. This is not the actual speed at which data is sent (called throughput),
because of built-in redundancy, error correction, and protocol overhead.

26. Dual-Band: A device that is capable of operating in two frequencies. On a

wireless network, dual-band devices are capable of operating in both the 2.4 GHz
(802.11b/g) and 5 GHz (802.11a) bands. In cellular phone technology, dual-band
devices typically operate in both the GSM900 and GSM1800 frequencies, allowing a
greater number of roaming options.

27. Encryption: A mechanism for providing data confidentiality.

28. Hotspot: Each area in which wi-fi is available is called a “hotspot”. Hotspots are
often found at coffee shops, hotels, airport lounges, train stations, convention centers,
and other public meeting areas. Corporations and campuses often offer it to visitors
and guests.

29. LAN: Local Area Networks. A system that connects PCs and other devices within
the same location in order to share resources such as Internet connections, printers,

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 files and storage drives. When Wi-Fi is used to connect the devices, the system is
known as a wireless LAN or WLAN.

30. MIMO: Multiple Input Multiple Output. A technique that uses multiple receivers
and multiple transmitters on both ends of a wireless connection to improve
throughput and range. MIMO is expected to be the basis of the forthcoming 802.11n
wireless LAN standard.

31. OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing. OFDM is a modulation

technique used in the 802.11a and 802.11g standards (previous 802.11b products
used a modulation technique known as CCK). In an OFDM system, data
transmissions are split among several narrowband channels at different frequencies,
which reduce interference by preventing the demodulators from seeing frequencies
other than their own.

32. PC Card: Wireless functionality can be added to notebook computers through the
use of a removable network card which is inserted into a type 2 or 3 card bus slot.

33. PCI Card: Wireless card that is installed in the PCI bus slot inside desktop PCs.

34. Pre-N: A name coined by manufacturers delivering non-standard Wi-Fi products

that promise increased range and speed. The term "pre-N" is designed to lead
consumers to believe that these products might be compatible with, and perform like,
future 802.11n products.

35. Print Server: A wireless print server allows multiple computers and other Wi-Fi
enabled devices to share a printer without the use of cables. A print server is
typically connected via parallel or USB port to the printer, and allows files to be
transferred wirelessly for printing.

36. Quality of Service (QoS): Enables Wi-Fi access points to prioritize traffic and
optimize the way shared network resources are allocated among different
applications. Without QoS, all applications running on different devices have equal
opportunity to transmit data frames. That works well for data traffic from
applications such as file transfers or e-mail, but it is inadequate for multimedia
applications. QoS is required for multimedia applications (such as VoIP, video
streaming, and interactive gaming), which are highly sensitive to latency increases
and throughput reductions.

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37. Repeater: A device that extends the coverage of an existing access point by
relaying its signal.

38. Router: Wireless routers provide the same functionality as access points, but
include the added features of allowing multiple users to share a wide area connection
to a broadband modem-providing multiple IP addresses, firewall capabilities, and
hub and switching functionality.

39. SecureEasySetup: A feature that allows people to setup their Wi-Fi network and
activate WPA security with the push of a button. SecureEasySetup is currently
offered in some models of Wi-Fi products from Linksys, HP and Buffalo.

40. SpeedBooster: Linksys' brand of Wi-Fi products that use Broadcom's 125 High
Speed Mode, which increases the throughput of an 802.11g network.

41. Throughput: The actual speed at which data is transmitted in a wireless network.
Because of communication and protocol overhead, throughout is generally less than
the data rate.

42. USB: Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface cards connect notebook and desktop
computers to wireless networks via the client's USB port, rather than utilizing either
embedded mini-PCI or removable PC cards.

43. WEP: The original security standard used in wireless networks to encrypt the
wireless data. Because WEP had many flaws that were easily cracked, it has been
replaced by stronger security technologies, such as WPA and WPA2.

44. Wi-Fi: A term developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe WLAN products that
are based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.

45. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED: The certification standard designating IEEE 802.11-based

WLAN products that have passed interoperability testing requirements developed
and governed by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

46. Wi-Fi Alliance: A non-profit organization that certifies the interoperability of

802.11 wireless LAN products. Products bearing the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo have
been proven to work with Wi-Fi products from other vendors. The Alliance also
makes sure that certain security and performance features are interoperable, to
improve the Wi-Fi user experience.

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47. Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM): A group of features that improves the user
experience for audio, video and voice applications on wireless networks. Based on
the IEEE 802.11e draft standard, WMM adds prioritization capabilities to Wi-Fi
networks and optimizes their performance when multiple concurrent applications,
each with different latency and throughput requirements, compete for network
resources.

48. WiMax: The common name for the forthcoming IEEE 802.16 standard. Wi-Max
is will provide last-mile wireless broadband access to areas in which cable or DSL
are not feasible.

49. Wireless Ethernet Transceiver (WET): Allows you to convert an Ethernet-

based device into a wireless device by connecting the wireless transceiver/bridge to
an Ethernet Port.

50. WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access. A security standard that uses the latest encryption
and authentication technologies to provide strong data protection and network access
control for wireless networks. WPA was designed to secure all 802.11 devices, and
can be found on all 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g products that are Wi-Fi certified.

51. WPA2: Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, also known as 802.11i. The latest security
method that provides even greater data protection and network access control for
wireless networks. The primary difference is that WPA2 uses the government-grade
AES encryption algorithm and 802.1X-based authentication, which are required to
secure large corporate networks.

52. PCI: “Peripheral Component Interconnect" is a high-speed connection for devices

including SCSI cards, video cards, sound cards, modems, video capture cards, etc

53. Mini PCI : is a standard for a computer bus for attaching peripheral devices to a
computer motherboard and is an adaptation of the Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) bus.

54. USB Port: A universal Serial Bus Connector. A USB port connects devices such
as a mouse or printer to the computer quickly and easily.

55. Express Card: is a hardware standard replacing Card Bus PC cards, both
developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.

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56. PCMCIA: Personal Computer Memory Card International Association - A
standardized technology used to develop a expansion for portable devices (ie
notebooks) In paging these credit card sized devices support wireless connectivity.

57. NAT: Network Address Translation. Convert internal IP addresses, typically

private addresses, into outside public addresses.

58. DSL: An asymmetric digital subscriber line transceiver, also known as a ADSL
modem or DSL modem, is a device used to connect a single computer to a DSL
phone line, in order to use an ADSL service.

59. Firmware: Firmware is a combination of software and hardware. ROMs, PROMs

and EPROMs that have data or programs recorded on them are firmware.

60. Latency: This is the amount of time it takes a packet of data to move across a
network connection.

61. HOP: A path to a destination on a network is a series of hops, through routers,

away from the origin.

62. Wireless repeater: a device that you can place anywhere and it will wirelessly
repeat the strongest signal, onto another wireless network (with or without security).
This functionality is also known as Wireless Client Bridge, or Range Expander.

63. Throughput: Throughput is the rate at which a computer or network sends or

receives data.

64. Infrastructure: The physical equipment (computers, cases, racks, cabling, etc.)
that comprises a computer system.

65. SSID: An SSID is a 32-character alphanumeric key uniquely identifying a

wireless LAN.

66. CCMP: Counter-Mode Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code

Protocol. A wireless encryption protocol based on the Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES) and defined in the IEEE 802.11i specification.

67. PSK: pre-shared Shared Key.

68. TKIP: TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is an encryption protocol

included as part of the IEEE 802.11i standard for wireless LANs.

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69. EAP authentication: Short for Extensible Authentication Protocol, an extension
to PPP. EAP is a general protocol for authentication that also supports multiple
authentication methods, such as token cards,

70. FCC: Federal Communications Commission. United States government agency

that supervises, licenses and controls electronic and electromagnetic transmission
standards.

71. Spread spectrum: A wireless LAN transmission technique which spreads the
original signal over a broad range of frequencies.

72. U-NII: The Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure is part of the used by
devices and by many wireless ISPs. It operates over three ranges:

 UNII 1:

a. 5.15-5.25 GHz. Sometimes referred to as UNII Indoor. Regulations

require use of an integrated antenna.

b. 5.25-5.35 GHz. Sometimes referred to as UNII Low. Regulations

allow for a user-installable antenna.

 UNII 2: 5.47-5.725 GHz. Both outdoor and indoor use, subject to

73. DHCP server: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It assigns dynamically IP

address for host.

74. TCP/IP: Transmission control protocol/ Internet protocol. TCP/IP is a set of

protocols or rules that have been developed to allow computers to share resources
across a network.

75. RADIUS Server: RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) is an

Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) protocol for applications such
as network access or IP mobility. It is intended to work in both local and roaming
situations.

76. DNS server: DNS Server that will return an IP Address when some body queries
it with the Domain Name.

77. RPM: Red hut package manager.

78. Sub Carrier: A sub carrier is a separate analog or digital signal carried on a main
radio transmission, which carries extra information such as voice or data.

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79. Channel: a path over which electrical signals can pass.

80. Center Frequency: Defined for BAND-PASS and BAND-REJECT filters as the
frequency at the GEOMETRIC MEAN of two CORNER FREQUENCIES (usually
-3 dB).

81. TKIP: It is an encryption protocol used in 802.11 networks and is part of the
IEEE 802.11i standard. TKIP was designed as a successor to WEP that could be
implemented without replacing legacy hardware. This was necessary due to the ease
with which WEP keys could be broken; leaving Wi-Fi networks vulnerable and
without a viable link-layer security solution. It was deemed that solving this problem
could not wait for new hardware to become available – hence the imperative to
provide legacy support. 

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