PRAIRIE PRECISION NETWORK TECHNICAL MANUAL 2016
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TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL
APPENDIX C – GLOSSARY
APN (Access Point Name)
Identifies an IP packet data network, that a wireless mobile data user communicate with. An APN may
also be used to define the type of service and the priority of that service. For example a group of users
may setup a special APN for their RTK data that insures high priority and low latency vs. a generic
APN which detects RTK data as a stagnant webpage and therefore lowers its priority and can even
cause a loss of data. APN’s are used in 3GPP data access networks like Bell, Telus and Rogers.
CDMA networks do not use APN’s as they always prioritize data on its own channel.
CDMA
Is a family of 3G mobile technology standards used primarily by Bell, Telus, Rogers, Sasktel and
MTS. It uses CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones
and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0,
CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B. All are approved radio interfaces for
the ITU's IMT-2000. CDMA2000 has a relatively long technical history and is backward-compatible
with its previous 2G iteration IS-95 (cdmaOne). The successor to CDMA2000 is LTE, part of the
competing 3GPP family.
dGPS
A form of corrected GPS giving enhanced accuracy in the few decimeter range (better than standalone
GPS, not as good as RTK). Several dGPS services are available ranging from Coast Guard Beacons,
WAAS, LAAS, private and government operated CORS / Network GPS systems.
Encryption Mode
Encrypting your wireless network accomplishes two things: it helps keep out bandwidth hogs (i.e.,
your neighbours) who would otherwise use your Wi-Fi for free Internet, and it helps prevent intruders
from 1breaking into your system to snoop around your PC. Because there are multiple encryption
modes the question is then which is the best? Of course, most wireless routers have encryption turned
off by default, so any choice you make is better than none at all.
The three prevailing standards for wireless encryption are described below:
•
WEP
: Wired Equivalent Privacy (or Wireless Encryption Protocol) is the original protection
scheme included with early wireless routers, and it is also the weakest. With the right
software, an intruder can easily break into a WEP-protected network in a few minutes using
the Related-key attack. This is considered almost obsolete technology so use WEP only if you
have older PCs or devices that don’t support the newer types described below.
•
WPA
: Wi-Fi Protected Access was established as a stopgap measure to remedy the
vulnerabilities in WEP. Specifically, the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), was
brought into WPA. TKIP uses R64 encryption for securing data.
•
WPA2/PSK
: Also known as 802.11i or PSK for Pre-Shared Key, WPA2 is the completed
form of WPA, and is considered the strongest nonproprietary encryption scheme for 802.11x
wireless networks. WPA2 implements the mandatory elements of 802.11i. In particular, it
introduces a new AES-based algorithm which is considered fully secure and better than TKIP.
