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Appendix D: Glossary
Wireless A/G USB Network Adapter
ISP
(
I
nternet
S
ervice
P
rovider) - A company that provides access to the Internet.
LAN
- The computers and networking products that make up your local network.
MAC
(
M
edia
A
ccess
C
ontrol)
Address
- The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking
device.
Mbps
(
M
ega
B
its
P
er
S
econd) - One million bits per second; a unit of measurement for data transmission.
Network
- A series of computers or devices connected for the purpose of data sharing, storage, and/or
transmission between users.
Node
- A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work station.
OFDM
(
O
rthogonal
F
requency
D
ivision
M
ultiplexing) - Frequency transmission that separates the data stream
into a number of lower-speed data streams, which are then transmitted in parallel to prevent information from
being lost in transit.
Packet
- A unit of data sent over a network.
Passphrase
- Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically
generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products.
Port
- The connection point on a computer or networking device used for plugging in cables or adapters.
RADIUS
(
R
emote
A
uthentication
D
ial-
I
n
U
ser
S
ervice) - A protocol that uses an authentication server to control
network access.
Roaming
- The ability to take a wireless device from one access point's range to another without losing the
connection.
Router
- A networking device that connects multiple networks together.
RTS
(
R
equest
T
o
S
end) - A networking method of coordinating large packets through the RTS Threshold setting.
Server
- Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to files, printing, communications,
and other services.
Software
- Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a particular task is called a
“program”.
Spread Spectrum
- Wideband radio frequency technique used for more reliable and secure data transmission.
