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Glossary
Term Definition
802.11 The 802.11 standard refers to a family of specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless
LAN technology. The 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and
a base station or between two wireless clients and provides 1 or 2 Mbps transmission in the
2.4 GHz band using either frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence
spread spectrum (DSSS).
802.11a The 802.11a standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54 Mbps and an operating
frequency of 5 GHz. The 802.11a standard uses the Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing (OFDM) transmission method. Additionally, the 802.11a standard supports
802.11 features such as WEP encryption for security.
802.11b 802.11b is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless networks and provides 11 Mbps
transmission (with a fallback to 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11b uses only
DSSS. Throughput data rate 5+ Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band.
802.11g The 802.11g standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54 Mbps, an operating
frequency of 2.4GHz, and WEP encryption for security. 802.11g networks are also referred to
as Wi-Fi* networks.
802.11n A task group of the IEEE 802.11 committee has defined a new draft specification that
provides for increased throughput speeds of up to 540 Mbps. The specification provides for
Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, or using multiple receivers and multiple
transmitters in both the client and access point, to achieve improved performance.
802.1X 802.1X is the IEEE Standard for Port-Based Network Access Control. This is used in
conjunction with EAP methods to provide access control to wired and wireless networks.
AAA Server Authentication, Authorization and Accounting Server. A system to control access to computer
resources and track user activity.
Access Point
(AP)
A device that connects wireless devices to another network. For example, a wireless LAN,
Internet modem or others.
Ad Hoc Network A communication configuration in which every computer has the same capabilities, and any
computer can initiate a communication session. Also known as a peer-to-peer network, a
device to device network or a computer-to-computer network.
AES-CCMP Advanced Encryption Standard - Counter CBC-MAC Protocol is the new method for privacy
protection of wireless transmissions specified in the IEEE 802.11i standard. AES-CCMP
provides a stronger encryption method than TKIP. The AES algorithm is capable of using
cryptographic keys of 128, 192, and 256 bits to encrypt and decrypt data in 128-bit blocks.
AES-CCMP uses the AES block cipher, but restricts the key length to 128 bits. AES-CCMP
incorporates two sophisticated cryptographic techniques (counter mode and CBC-MAC) to
provide improved security between the mobile client and the access point.
Authentication Verifies the identity of a user logging onto a network. Passwords, digital certificates, smart
cards and biometrics are used to prove the identity of the client to the network. Passwords
and digital certificates are also used to identify the network to the client.
Available
network
One of the networks listed under Available networks on the Wireless Networks tab of the
Wireless Network Connection Properties (Windows* XP environment). Any wireless network
that is broadcasting and is within receiving range of the WiFi adapter appears on the list.
BER Bit Error Rate. The ratio of errors to the total number of bits being sent in a data
transmission from one location to another.
Bit Rate The total number of bits (ones and zeros) per second that a network connection can support.
Note that this bit rate will vary, under software control, with different signal path conditions.
Broadcast SSID Used to allow an access point to respond to clients on a wireless network by sending probes.
BSSID A unique identifier for each wireless client on a wireless network. The Basic Service Set
Identifier (BSSID) is the Ethernet MAC address of each adapter on the network.