User's Guide

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Glossary of Terms
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 taskgroup of the IEEE 802.11 committee is in the process of defining a
standard for high throughput speeds of at least 100Mbps on wireless
networks. Some proposals being fielded by the taskgroup include designs
for up to 540 Mbps. Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology,
using multiple receivers and multiple transmitters in both the client and
access point to achieve improved performance is expected to form the
basis of the final specification.
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.