Instruction Sheet

Access Point: A device that serves as a communications hub for wireless clients and provides a

connection to a wired LAN.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): A federal information-processing standard, supporting

128-, 192-, and 256-bit keys.

Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID): A unique identifier for each wireless client on a wireless

network. The BSSID is the Ethernet MAC address of each adapter on the network.

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.

Bluetooth: An incompatible, very short-range lower speed communications system (PAN),

developed first in Europe as a “cable replacement” for printers and similar peripheral connections.

Its usage has expanded to include cordless earphones and similar devices. It uses the 2.4 GHz

ISM band, and “co-exists” with 802.11b. Here the term, “co-exist” means that not all researchers

agree on the amount of mutual interference generated when both systems operate in the same

location.

Broadcast SSID: Used to allow an access point to respond to clients on a wireless network by

sending probes.

Data Rate (Information Rate): Not all bits carry user information. Each group (packet) of bits

contains headers, trailers, echo control, destination information, and other data required by the

transmission protocol. It is important to understand the difference between bit rate and data rate,

since the overhead information may consume more than 40% of the total transmission. This

difference is common to many such data systems, including Ethernet.

Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency-Hop Spread Spectrum (FHSS):

Two incompatible technologies used in radio transmission.

Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP): An authentication protocol that supports multiple

authentication methods, such as Kerberos, passwords, or smart cards. Cisco's authentication

protocol, LEAP, is based on EAP, an extension to PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol).

Encryption: Scrambling data so that only the authorized recipient can read it. Usually a key is

needed to decrypt the data.

Extended Service Set IDentifier (ESSID): A type of unique identifier applied to both the AP and

the wireless PC Card that is attached to each packet. This allows the AP to recognize each

wireless client and its traffic.