User manual

Glossary
Access Point (AP)
A device that transports data between a wireless network and a wired network
(infrastructure).
Ad-hoc network
A wireless network composed only of stations (no access point). Also known as
peer to peer network
Bandwidth
Specifies the amount of the frequency spectrum that is usable for data transfer. In
other words, it identifies the maximum data rate that a signal can attain on the
medium without encountering significant attenuation.
Baseband
A signal that has not undergone any shift in frequency. Normally with LANs, a
baseband signal is purely digitals.
BSSID
A 6-byte address that distinguishes a particular AP from others. Also known as a
network ID or the MAC address of the AP.
ICMP
Internet Control Message Protocol is used between hosts and routers for reporting
routing and other problems. ICMP contains 13 different types of messages, 5 error
reporting and 8 query messages. Example of ICMP message is PING, which uses
two of the ICMP message types, type 8 (Echo Request) and type 0 (Echo Reply)
Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
An error-detection process that (at the transmitting station) divides the data being
sent by a particular polynomial and appends the resulting remainder to the
transmitted data.
Data link layer
The bottom second layer of the OSI layers. It provides synchronization and
transmission error control to packets. In 802.11 LANs, it encompasses the logical
link control (LLC) and medium access control (MAC) layers.
Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK)
A modulation process that the IEEE 802.11 direct sequence physical layer uses to
transmit data. It operates at a specific center frequency and varies the phase of
the signal to represent double-bit symbols.
Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
Combines a data signal at the sending station with a higher data rate bit sequence,
which many refer to as a chip sequence (aka. processing gain). A high processing
gain increases the signal’s resistance to interference.
Extended Service Set (ESS)
A collection of basic service sets tied together via a distribution system.
Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)
Takes the data signal and modulates it with a carrier signal that hops from
frequency to frequency as a function of time over a wide band of frequencies.
125