45
T
ERMINOLOGY
10BaseT
The Physical Layer Specification for Twisted-Pair Ethernet using
Unshielded Twisted Pair wire at 10Mbps. This is the most popular
type of LAN cable used today because it is very cheap and easy
to install. It uses RJ-45 connectors and has a cable length span
of up to 100 meters. There are two versions, STP (Shielded
Twisted Pair) which is more expensive and UTP (Unshielded
Twisted Pair), the most popular cable. These cables come in
5 different categories. However, only 3 are normally used in LANs,
Category 3, 4 and 5. CAT 3 TP (Twisted Pair) cable has a network
data transfer rate of up to 10Mbps. CAT 4 TP cable has a network
data transfer rate of up to 16Mbps. CAT 5 TP cable has a network
data transfer rate of up to 100Mbps.
Access Point
A device that is able to receive wireless signals and transmit
them to the wired network, and vice versa - thereby creating
a connection between the wireless and wired networks.
Ad Hoc
An ad hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with
LAN adapters, connected as an independent wireless LAN.
Adapter
A device used to connect end-user nodes to the network; each
contains an interface to a specific type of computer or system
bus, e.g. EISA, ISA, PCI, PCMCIA, CardBus, etc.
Auto-Negotiation
A signaling method that allows each node to define its
operational mode (e.g., 10/100 Mbps and half/full duplex)
and to detect the operational mode of the adjacent node.
