Wireless Jargon / Glossary

Wireless networks, like so many things in life - and especially those who have nothing to do with computers - is filled with jargon. Can not be many Hi-tech babble baffles intimidated, but: Here's a fast computer is to help English-speaking guide to assist you.

802.11. The name of the wireless networking standard, which by the IEEE. Ensures that wireless devices are interoperable.

Driver. A piece of computer software that the computer how to talk to devices that are being relatedis connected. For wireless networking, so the driver must be installed to get on a CD with equipment that you buy.

Ethernet. The most common type of connection to a LAN. All lines you may need to connect your computers together now have Ethernet cable and the cable modem to the computer probably is an Ethernet cable.

GHz. Gigahertz. A measurement of frequency - a gigahertz is one billion cycles per second. You can see the measurement of computerProcessor speed, which is now also measured in GHz.

IEEE. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Responsible for the wireless networking standard, as well as many other computing standards (including the Ethernet standard). They ensure that computerized systems can work together from different manufacturers.

Interoperable. Means that the two devices are compatible - you can use them together because they adhere to the standards. They should not allWireless devices that are not interoperable.

LAN. Local area network. A network that is basically on a building, like a house or confined in the office. A wireless LAN is also known as WiFi.

Linux. An alternative operating system to Windows. Computers running Linux can run many programs and connect to the Internet without Windows. Linux is free to download and you may use to friends. A lot of wireless devices with Linux, or are compatible withit.

MAN. Metropolitan Area Network. A network that covers a larger area, such as a city or municipality. Wireless MAN (men?) Distributed Internet access throughout the area, but are expensive to set up. They are sometimes used in the universities.

Mbps. Megabits per second, a measurement of connection speed. MBps not be confused megabytes per second. There are eight megabits in a megabyte.

PAN. Personal Area Network. These are networks of devices connected togetherin a small area. For example, your computer with a USB keyboard and mouse, the heat in a frying pan. Pans can also connect wirelessly to a technology called Bluetooth.

PCI. Peripheral Component Interconnect. This is a way to install new devices in your computer, such as graphics cards and network devices. If you want to install a wireless card in your computer, you will be using PCI.

PCMCIA. Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (some say it should stand for "peopleCan not Remember Computer Industry Acronyms "). A standard for plugging in the card-sized devices on a laptop and it has additional capabilities. PCMCIA is a good way to add wireless networking to your laptop as easy as inserting a disk.

USB. Universal Serial Bus. A port for connecting all types of devices to a computer, including keyboards, mice, printers, external drives, and almost everything you can imagine. If you do not want to open your computer and you do not have anyLaptop, you can use a wireless USB device.

WAN. Wide Area Network. A network that connects more than one physical location, such as a company is connected, your computer is plugged in both countries through a network. The Internet, for example, is a WAN - the biggest WAN in the world.

WFP. Wired Equivalent Privacy. The old standard for encrypting wireless networks. Unfortunately, it was found to be insecure in 2001 and should therefore not be used.

EPA. Wi-Fi ProtectedAccess. Basically an upgrade of WEP to fix their security problems. WPA-encrypted networks often change their encryption method, so it vulnerable, and also shut down for thirty seconds if they detect a suspected attack.