User's Manual

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8 Glossary
10/100 Base-T
A technical term for Ethernet. 10/100 refers to the speed at which the Ethernet network
functions. 10 indicates 10 megabits per second (Mb/s) for normal Ethernet, and 100 indicates
100 Mb/s for Fast Ethernet.
802.11a
A type of wireless networking that provides up to 54 Mbps transmission in the 5 GHz band.
802.11b
A type of wireless networking that provides up to 11 Mbps transmission (with a fallback to 5.5,
2 and 1 Mb/s) in the 2.4 GHz band.
802.11g
A type of wireless networking that provides up to 54 Mbps transmission in the 2.4 GHz band.
Ad-hoc network
A type of wireless network in which devices directly communicate with each other rather than
through a Wireless Access Point (WAP). Also referred to as peer-to-peer. Ad-hoc networks are
typically small and simple, for example, a wireless PC and a wireless printer. Ad-hoc networks
are independent basic service stations (IBSS), or direct-connect wireless networks.
Authentication
Authentication is a wireless network security strategy. On a network with authentication,
devices use a shared key as a password and communicate only with devices that know the key.
Unlike WEP, authentication does not encrypt the data sent between wireless devices. However,
authentication can be used in conjunction with WEP. Authentication keys and WEP keys can be
identical.
AutoIP
A process by which a device on a network automatically assigns an IP address to itself.
BOOTP
Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) is an Internet protocol that enables a device to discover its own IP
address, the IP address of a BOOTP server on the network, and a file to be loaded into memory
to boot the machine. This enables the device to boot without requiring a hard or floppy disk
drive.
Broadcast packet
A packet sent from one device on a network to all devices on the network.
BSS (Basic Service Set)
Basic Service Set describes the type of wireless network that you are using. The BSS type can be
one of the following: Infrastructure network or Ad-Hoc network.
Channel
A specific radio frequency used by two or more wireless devices to communicate with each
other. All devices on the network must use the same channel. The number of channels available
varies by country/region.