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Appendix D: Glossary
Wireless-G USB Network Adapter with SpeedBooster
Appendix D: Glossary
802.11b
- An IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps and an
operating frequency of 2.4GHz.
802.11g
- An IEEE wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps, an
operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and backward compatibility with 802.11b devices.
Access Point
- Device that allows wireless-equipped computers and other devices to communicate with a wired
network. Also used to expand the range of a wireless network.
Adapter
- A device that adds network functionality to your PC.
Ad-hoc
- A group of wireless devices communicating directly with each other (peer-to-peer) without the use of
an access point.
Backbone
- The part of a network that connects most of the systems and networks together, and handles the
most data.
Bandwidth
- The transmission capacity of a given device or network.
Bit
- A binary digit.
CSMA/CA
(Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) - A method of data transfer that is used to prevent
data loss in a network.
CTS
(Clear To Send) - A signal sent by a device to indicate that it is ready to receive data.
Default Gateway
- A device that forwards Internet traffic from your local area network.
DHCP
(Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A protocol that lets one device on a local network, known as a
DHCP server, assign temporary IP addresses to the other network devices, typically computers.
DNS
(Domain Name Server) - The IP address of your ISP's server, which translates the names of websites into IP
addresses.
DSSS
(Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) - A type of radio transmission technology that includes a redundant
bit pattern to lessen the probability of data lost during transmission. Used in 802.11b networking.
Encryption
- Encoding data to prevent it from being read by unauthorized people.
