
Back to Contents
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 taskgroup 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. The
specification is expected to be approved in the late 2008 timeframe.
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.
Comentarios a estos manuales