Glossary
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Glossary of Terms
Term
Definition
802.11
The 802.11 standard refers to a family of specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN
technology. The 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base
station or between two wireless clients and provides 1 or 2 Mbps transmission in the 2.4 GHz
band using either frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence spread
spectrum (DSSS).
802.11a
The 802.11a standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54 Mbps and an operating
frequency of 5 GHz. The 802.11a standard uses the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM) transmission method. Additionally, the 802.11a standard supports 802.11 features such
as WEP encryption for security.
802.11b
802.11b is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless networks and provides 11 Mbps
transmission (with a fallback to 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11b uses only
DSSS. Throughput data rate 5+ Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band.
802.11g
The 802.11g standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54 Mbps, an operating
frequency of 2.4GHz, and WEP encryption for security. 802.11g networks are also referred to as
Wi-Fi* networks.
802.11n
A task group of the IEEE 802.11 committee has defined a new draft specification that provides
for increased throughput speeds of up to 540 Mbps. The specification provides for Multiple-
Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, or using multiple receivers and multiple transmitters
in both the client and access point, to achieve improved performance.
802.1X
802.1X is the IEEE Standard for Port-Based Network Access Control. This is used in conjunction
with EAP methods to provide access control to wired and wireless networks.
AAA Server
Authentication, Authorization and Accounting Server. A system to control access to computer
resources and track user activity.
Access Point
(AP)
A device that connects wireless devices to another network. For example, a wireless LAN,
Internet modem or others.
Ad Hoc
Network
A communication configuration in which every computer has the same capabilities, and any
computer can initiate a communication session. Also known as a peer-to-peer network, a device
to device network or a computer-to-computer network.
AES-CCMP
Advanced Encryption Standard - Counter CBC-MAC Protocol is the new method for privacy
protection of wireless transmissions specified in the IEEE 802.11i standard. AES-CCMP provides
a stronger encryption method than TKIP. The AES algorithm is capable of using cryptographic
keys of 128, 192, and 256 bits to encrypt and decrypt data in 128-bit blocks. AES-CCMP uses
the AES block cipher, but restricts the key length to 128 bits. AES-CCMP incorporates two
sophisticated cryptographic techniques (counter mode and CBC-MAC) to provide improved
security between the mobile client and the access point.
Authentication
Verifies the identity of a user logging onto a network. Passwords, digital certificates, smart cards
and biometrics are used to prove the identity of the client to the network. Passwords and digital
certificates are also used to identify the network to the client.
Available
network
One of the networks listed under Available networks on the Wireless Networks tab of the
Wireless Network Connection Properties (Windows* XP environment). Any wireless network that
is broadcasting and is within receiving range of the WiFi adapter appears on the list.
BER
Bit Error Rate. The ratio of errors to the total number of bits being sent in a data transmission
from one location to another.
Bit Rate
The total number of bits (ones and zeros) per second that a network connection can support.
Note that this bit rate will vary, under software control, with different signal path conditions.
Broadcast SSID Used to allow an access point to respond to clients on a wireless network by sending probes.
BSSID
A unique identifier for each wireless client on a wireless network. The Basic Service Set
Identifier (BSSID) is the Ethernet MAC address of each adapter on the network.
