Honeywell XYR301E, User Manual

Page: 97 / 108

Appendix B XYR301E Wireless Ethernet
34-XY-25-41 Page 97
Router A device that forwards data from one WLAN or wired local area network to another.
SNR Signal to Noise Ratio. The number of decibels difference between the signal strength and
background noise.
Transmit Power The power usually expressed in mW or dBm that the wireless device transmits at.
MAC Address Media Access Control address. A unique code assigned to most forms of networking hardware. The
address is permanently assigned to the hardware, so limiting a wireless network's access to hardware
-- such as wireless cards -- is a security feature employed by closed wireless networks. But an
experienced hacker -- armed with the proper tools -- can still figure out an authorized MAC address,
masquerade as a legitimate address and access a closed network.
Every wireless 802.11 device has its own specific MAC address hard-coded into it. This unique
identifier can be used to provide security for wireless networks. When a network uses a MAC table,
only the 802.11 radios that have had their MAC addresses added to that network's MAC table will be
able to get onto the network.
NAT
Network Address Translation: A network capability that enables a number of computers to
dynamically share a single incoming IP address from a dial-up, cable or xDSL connection. NAT
takes the single incoming IP address and creates new IP address for each client computer on the
network.
NIC
Network Interface Card. A type of PC adapter card that either works without wires (Wi-Fi) or
attaches to a network cable to provide two-way communication between the computer and network
devices such as a hub or switch. Most office wired NICs operate at 10 Mbps (Ethernet), 100 Mbps
(Fast Ethernet) or 10/100 Mbps dual speed. High-speed Gigabit and 10 Gigabit NIC cards are also
available. See PC Card.
Proxy Server Used in larger companies and organizations to improve network operations and security, a proxy
server is able to prevent direct communication between two or more networks. The proxy server
forwards allowable data requests to remote servers and/or responds to data requests directly from
stored remote server data.
RJ-45 Standard connectors used in Ethernet networks. RJ-45 connectors are similar to standard RJ-11
telephone connectors, but RJ-45 connectors can have up to eight wires, whereas telephone
connectors have four.
Server A computer that provides its resources to other computers and devices on a network. These include
print servers, Internet servers and data servers. A server can also be combined with a hub or router.
Site survey
The process whereby a wireless network installer inspects a location prior to installing a wireless
network. Site surveys are used to identify the radio- and client-use properties of a facility so that
access points can be optimally placed.
SSL Secure Sockets Layer. A commonly used encryption scheme used by many online retail and banking
sites to protect the financial integrity of transactions. When an SSL session begins, the server sends
its public key to the browser. The browser then sends a randomly generated secret key back to the
server in order to have a secret key exchange for that session
Sub network or
Subnet Found in larger networks, these smaller networks are used to simplify addressing between numerous
computers. Subnets connect together through a router.
Switch A type of hub that efficiently controls the way multiple devices use the same network so that each
can operate at optimal performance. A switch acts as a networks traffic cop: rather than transmitting
all the packets it receives to all ports as a hub does, a switch transmits packets to only the receiving
port.
TCP Transmission Control Protocol. A protocol used along with the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data in
the form of individual units (called packets) between computers over the Internet. While IP takes care
of handling the actual delivery of the data, TCP takes care of keeping track of the packets that a
message is divided into for efficient routing through the Internet. For example, when a web page is
downloaded from a web server, the TCP program layer in that server divides the file into packets,
numbers the packets, and then forwards them individually to the IP program layer. Although each
packet has the same destination IP address, it may get routed differently through the network. At the
other end, TCP reassembles the individual packets and waits until they have all arrived to forward
them as single message.