Appendix F: Glossary. Linksys WRTU54G TM - T-Mobile Hotspot @Home Wireless G Router, WRTU54G-TM

Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports

Appendix F: 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

Appendix F: Glossary 64


Cable Modem - A device that connects a computer to the cable television network, which in turn connects to the

Internet.

CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) - A method of data transfer that is used to prevent data collisions.

CTS (Clear To Send) - A signal sent by a wireless device, signifying that it is ready to receive data.

Daisy Chain - A method used to connect devices in a series, one after the other.

Database - A collection of data that is organized so that its contents can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.

DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System) - Allows the hosting of a website, FTP server, or e-mail server with a fixed domain name (e.g., www.xyz.com) and a dynamic IP address.

Default Gateway - A device that forwards Internet traffic from your local area network.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A networking protocol that allows administrators to assign temporary IP addresses to network computers by “leasing” an IP address to a user for a limited amount of time, instead of assigning permanent IP addresses.

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) - Removes the Router's firewall protection from one PC, allowing it to be “seen” from the Internet.

DNS (Domain Name Server) - The IP address of your ISP's server, which translates the names of websites into IP addresses.

Domain - A specific name for a network of computers.

Download - To receive a file transmitted over a network.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - An always-on broadband connection over traditional phone lines.

DSSS (Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum) - Frequency transmission with a redundant bit pattern resulting in a lower probability of information being lost in transit.

DTIM (Delivery Traffic Indication Message) - A message included in data packets that can increase wireless efficiency.

Dynamic IP Address - A temporary IP address assigned by a DHCP server.



EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) - A general authentication protocol used to control network access.

Many specific authentication methods work within this framework.

EAP-PEAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol-Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol) - A mutual authentication method that uses a combination of digital certificates and another system, such as passwords.

EAP-TLS (Extensible Authentication Protocol-Transport Layer Security) - A mutual authentication method that uses digital certificates.

EasyKeySetup - EasyKeySetup will create a secure wireless connection using encryption. To ensure your T-

Mobile phone works on your secured connection, follow the EasyKeySetup steps to share the encryption information with your phone. If you have not previously enabled security for the wireless router, the default will be

WPA-PSK encryption. If you have enabled security and have a key already in the wireless router, EasyKeySetup will use the currently security settings and share those with the T-Mobile phone.

Encryption - Encoding data transmitted in a network.

Ethernet - A networking protocol that specifies how data is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission medium.

Finger - A program that tells you the name associated with an e-mail address.

Firewall - A set of related programs located at a network gateway server that protects the resources of a network from users from other networks.

Firmware - The programming code that runs a networking device.

Fragmentation -Breaking a packet into smaller units when transmitting over a network medium that cannot support the original size of the packet.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - A protocol used to transfer files over a TCP/IP network.

Full Duplex - The ability of a networking device to receive and transmit data simultaneously.

Gateway - A device that interconnects networks with different, incompatible communications protocols.

Half Duplex - Data transmission that can occur in two directions over a single line, but only one direction at a time.

Hardware - The physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other information technology devices.



HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) - The communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World

Wide Web.

Infrastructure - A wireless network that is bridged to a wired network via an access point.

IP (Internet Protocol) - A protocol used to send data over a network.

IP Address - The address used to identify a computer or device on a network.

IPCONFIG - A Windows 2000, XP and Vista utility that displays the IP address for a particular networking device.

IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) - A VPN protocol used to implement secure exchange of packets at the IP layer.

ISM band - Radio bandwidth utilized in wireless transmissions.

ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A company that provides access to the Internet.

LAN - The computers and networking products that make up your local network.

LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) - A mutual authentication method that uses a username and password system.

MAC (Media Access Control) Address - The unique address that a manufacturer assigns to each networking device.

Mbps (MegaBits Per Second) - One million bits per second; a unit of measurement for data transmission.

mIRC - An Internet Relay Chat program that runs under Windows.

Multicasting - Sending data to a group of destinations at once.

NAT (Network Address Translation) - NAT technology translates IP addresses of a local area network to a different

IP address for the Internet.

Network - A series of computers or devices connected for the purpose of data sharing, storage, and/or transmission between users.

NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) - The protocol used to connect to Usenet groups on the Internet.

Node - A network junction or connection point, typically a computer or work station.



OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) - Frequency transmission that separates the data stream into a number of lower-speed data streams, which are then transmitted in parallel to prevent information from being lost in transit.

Packet - A unit of data sent over a network.

Passphrase - Used much like a password, a passphrase simplifies the WEP encryption process by automatically generating the WEP encryption keys for Linksys products.

PEAP (Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol) - A mutual authentication method that uses a combination of digital certificates and another system, such as passwords.

Ping (Packet INternet Groper) - An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is online.

POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) - A standard mail server commonly used on the Internet.

Port - The connection point on a computer or networking device used for plugging in cables or adapters.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) - A technology enabling an Ethernet network cable to deliver both data and power.

PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) - A type of broadband connection that provides authentication

(username and password) in addition to data transport.

PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) - A VPN protocol that allows the Point to Point Protocol (PPP) to be tunneled through an IP network. This protocol is also used as a type of broadband connection in Europe.

Preamble - Part of the wireless signal that synchronizes network traffic.

RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) - A protocol that uses an authentication server to control network access.

RJ-45 (Registered Jack-45) - An Ethernet connector that holds up to eight wires.

Roaming - The ability to take a wireless device from one access point's range to another without losing the connection.

Router - A networking device that connects multiple networks together.

RTS (Request To Send) - A networking method of coordinating large packets through the RTS Threshold setting.

Server - Any computer whose function in a network is to provide user access to files, printing, communications, and other services.



SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - The standard e-mail protocol on the Internet.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) - A widely used network monitoring and control protocol.

Software - Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a particular task is called a

“program”.

SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) - Market segment of professionals who work at home or in small offices.

SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) Firewall - A technology that inspects incoming packets of information before allowing them to enter the network.

Spread Spectrum - Wideband radio frequency technique used for more reliable and secure data transmission.

SSID (Service Set IDentifier) - Your wireless network's name.

Static IP Address - A fixed address assigned to a computer or device that is connected to a network.

Static Routing - Forwarding data in a network via a fixed path.

Subnet Mask - An address code that determines the size of the network.

Switch - 1. A data switch that connects computing devices to host computers, allowing a large number of devices to share a limited number of ports. 2. A device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) - A network protocol for transmitting data that requires acknowledgement from the recipient of data sent.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - A set of instructions PCs use to communicate over a network.

Telnet - A user command and TCP/IP protocol used for accessing remote PCs.

TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) - A version of the TCP/IP FTP protocol that has no directory or password capability.

Throughput - The amount of data moved successfully from one node to another in a given time period.

TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) - a wireless encryption protocol that provides dynamic encryption keys for each packet transmitted.

Topology - The physical layout of a network.



TX Rate - Transmission Rate.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) - A network protocol for transmitting data that does not require acknowledgement from the recipient of the data that is sent.

Upgrade - To replace existing software or firmware with a newer version.

Upload - To transmit a file over a network.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - The address of a file located on the Internet.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) - A security measure to protect data as it leaves one network and goes to another over the Internet.

WAN (Wide Area Network)- The Internet.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) - A method of encrypting network data transmitted on a wireless network for greater security.

WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) - A group of computers and associated devices that communicate with each other wirelessly.

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) - a wireless security protocol using TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) encryption, which can be used in conjunction with a RADIUS server.


Appendix F: Glossary. Linksys WRTU54G TM - T-Mobile Hotspot @Home Wireless G Router, WRTU54G-TM

Appendix F: Glossary

Related manuals

Table of contents

Appendix F: Glossary. Linksys WRTU54G TM - T-Mobile Hotspot @Home Wireless G Router, WRTU54G-TM