User Manual

5. GLOSSARY

Wireless Access Point (AP) – Any entity that has station functionality and provides access to the distribution

services, via the wireless medium (WM) for associated stations.

Ad-Hoc – A network composed solely of stations within mutual communication range of each other via the

wireless medium (WM). An ad hoc network is typically created in a spontaneous manner. The principal

distinguishing characteristic of an ad hoc network is its limited temporal and spatial extent. These limitations allow

the act of creating and dissolving the ad hoc network to be sufficiently straightforward and convenient so as to be

achievable by non-technical users of the network facilities; i.e., no specialized technical skills are required and

little or no investment of time or additional resources is required beyond the stations that are to participate in the

ad hoc network. The term ad hoc is often used as slang to refer to an independent basic service set (IBSS).

BSS (Basic Service Set) – An AP associated with several wireless stations.

ESS (Extended Service Set) – More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set. An ESS is

basically a roaming domain.

Ethernet – A popular local area data communications network, originally developed by Xerox Corp., which

accepts transmission from computers and terminals. Ethernet operates on 10 Mbps baseband transmission over

shielded coaxial cable or over shielded twisted pair telephone wire.

Infrastructure – The infrastructure includes the distribution system medium (DSM), AP, and portal entities. It is

also the logical location of distribution and integration service functions of an extended service set (ESS). An

infrastructure contains one or more APs and zero or more portals in addition to the distribution system (DS).

IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

LAN – Local Area Network.

Roaming – A function that allows one to travel with a mobile end system (wireless LAN mobile station, for

example) through the territory of a domain (an ESS, for example) while continuously connecting to the

infrastructure.

RTS (Request To Send) Threshold – Transmitters contending for the medium may not hear each other.

RTS/CTS mechanism can solve this “Hidden Node Problem”.

SOHO – Small Office Home Office

SSID – Service Set Identifier

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) – The optional cryptographic confidentiality algorithm specified by IEEE 802.11

used to provide data confidentiality that is subjectively equivalent to the confidentiality of a wired local area

network medium that does not employ cryptographic techniques to enhance privacy.

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