User Manual

802.11b/g Wireless LAN Card User's Manual
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RF Radio Frequency, any frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with
radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an
electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space.
Roaming In an Infrastructure mode wireless network, roaming refers to the ability to move from
one AP coverage area to another without interruption in service or loss in connectivity.
SSID Service Set Identifier, up to 32-character unique identifier attached to the header of
packets sent over a WLAN that acts as a password when a mobile device tries to connect
to the BSS. The SSID differentiates one WLAN from another; so all access points and
all devices attempting to connect to a specific WLAN must use the same SSID. A device
will not be permitted to join the BSS unless it can provide the unique SSID. An SSID is
also referred to as a Network Name because essentially it is a name that identifies a
wireless network.
Subnet Mask A value that defines whether your computer communicates only within your LAN or
communicates outside of your LAN, where it is routed out to the rest of the Internet. A
Subnet Mask that has the same first three components (for example, 255.255.255.0) is
the routing pattern for a Class C address.
TCP Transmission Control Protocol. The standard transport level protocol that provides the
full duplex, stream service on which many applications’ protocols depend. TCP allows a
process on one machine to send a stream of data to a process on another. Software
implementing TCP usually resides in the operating system and uses the IP to transmit
information across the network.
Topology The geometric arrangement of devices on a network. For example, devices can be
arranged in a ring, bus or star.