Linksys WPC54GX [39/51] Appendix d glossary

Appendix D: Glossary

Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SRX

Appendix D: Glossary

802.11b - A wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 11Mbps and an

operating frequency of 2.4GHz.

802.11g - A wireless networking standard that specifies a maximum data transfer rate of 54Mbps, an operating

frequency of 2.4GHz, and backward compatibility with 802.11b devices.

Access Point - A device that allows wireless-equipped computers and other devices to communicate with a

wired network. Also used to expand the range of a wireless network.

Adapter - A device that adds network functionality to your PC.

Ad-hoc - A group of wireless devices communicating directly with each other (peer-to-peer) without the use of

an access point.

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) - A security method that uses symmetric 128-bit block data encryption.

Backbone - The part of a network that connects most of the systems and networks together, and handles the

most data.

Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of a given device or network.

Beacon Interval - Data transmitted on your wireless network that keeps the network synchronized.

Bit - A binary digit.

Boot - To start a device and cause it to start executing instructions.

Bridge - A device that connects different networks.

Broadband - An always-on, fast Internet connection.

Browser - An application program that provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the

World Wide Web.

Buffer - A shared or assigned memory area that is used to support and coordinate different computing and

networking activities so one isn't held up by the other.

Byte - A unit of data that is usually eight bits long