User Guide: Technical Reference APPENDIX B GLOSSARY OF TERMS
PRELIMINARY
Customer Support (202) 333-7031
B-9
Refraction
The bending of a wave as it moves from one medium to another.
Reliability
A measure of the percentage of time the system is operating. Reliability is usually
a measure of both the availability of the signal and the MTBF of the equipment.
RF cable
In an
ioLink
system, the coaxial cable that connects the RF unit to the antenna. It
is terminated at both ends by male N-type connectors.
RS-232
The interface between Data Terminal Equipment and Data Communications
Equipment (such as a modem) employing serial binary data interchange. Used for
the transmission of serial data.
S
Sensitivity
The minimum signal level a receiver can accept and still perform at a specified
BER. This is also referred to as Receiver Threshold.
Simple Network
Management Protocol
(SNMP)
The standard protocol for TCP/IP network management that has the most common
worldwide use.
Spread Spectrum
Technology (SST)
A method of encoding (with a PN code) a digital signal in a transmitter so as to
spread it over a wide range of frequencies so that the average signal power is
close to the noise floor. The same code is known to the receiver and is used to
decode the signal.
System Gain
The sum of the transmitter power output and the receiver sensitivity. System gain
is an important measure of a system’s ability to overcome attenuation and perform
to a satisfactory level. Measured in dBm.
System Integration (SI)
A method by which a company uses its expertise regarding all of the products in a
certain market in order to integrate them into one cohesive network, thus suiting
the unique needs of each customer.
T
T1
United States standard used in the Pacific Rim nations, among others. Its speed is
1.544 Mbps. It uses the DSX data interface.
Throughput
The quantity of data processed during a given period over a given bandwidth. It is
usually measured as the rate of bits transmitted per second.
To Be Determined (TBD)
Information is not available at this time.
Transmission Control
Protocol/ Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP)
A suite of protocols that includes TCP, IP, the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and
several other service protocols.
U
