Technical data

© 2012 Meru Networks, Inc. Glossary 325
Glossary
This glossary contains a collection of terms and abbreviations used in this document.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y
Numerals
10BaseT
An IEEE standard (802.3) for operating 10 megabits per second (Mbps) Ethernet networks
(LANs) over twisted pair cabling and using baseband transmission methods.
100baseT
A Fast Ethernet standard (802.3u) that allows up to 100 Mbps and uses the CSMA/CD LAN
access method.
3DES
Triple Des. A Data Encryption Standard (DES) that uses three 64-bit encryption key, and
therefore is three times longer than that used by DES.
802.11
802.11, or IEEE 802.11, is a radio technology specification used for Wireless Local Area
Networks (WLANs). 802.11 defines the mobile (wireless) network access link layer,
including 802.11 media access control (MAC) and different Physical (PHY) interfaces. This
standard defines the protocol for communications between a wireless client and a base
station as well as between two wireless clients.
The 802.11 specification, often called Wi-Fi, is composed of several standards operating
in different radio frequencies, including the 2.4 GHz (802.11 b and g) and 5 GHz (802.11a)
unlicensed spectrums. New standards are emerging within the 802.11 specification to
define additional aspects of wireless networking.
802.11a
A supplement to 802.11 that operates in the 5 GHz frequency range with a maximum 54
Mbps data transfer rate. The 802.11a specification offers more radio channels than the
802.11b and uses OFDM. The additional channels ease radio and microwave interference.
802.11b
International standard for wireless networking that operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency
range (2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz) and provides a throughput of up to 11 Mbps. This common
frequency is also used by microwave ovens, cordless phones, medical and scientific equip-
ment, as well as Bluetooth devices.
802.11e
An IEEE specification for providing Quality of Service (QoS) in 802.11 WLANs. 802.11e is a
supplement to the IEEE 802.11 and provides enhancements to the 802.11 MAC layer
supplying a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) construct and error-correcting mecha-
nisms that aid delay-sensitive applications such as voice and video.
802.11g
Similar to 802.11b, this standard operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency. It uses OFDM to
provide a throughput of up to 54 Mbps.