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Wireless Networking
Wireless
Networking Terms and Jargon.
Confused Yet?
by Jeff Cohen
Wireless networking,
like so many things in life - and especially the ones that
have anything to do with computers - is filled with jargon.
Don't be intimidated, though: here's a quick computer-speak
to English guide that will help you get by.
802.11. The
name of the wireless networking standard, set by the IEEE.
Ensures that wireless devices are interoperable.
Driver. A
piece of computer software that tells the computer how to
talk to devices that are plugged into it. For wireless networking,
the drivers you need to install will come on a CD with any
equipment you buy.
Ethernet. The
most common way of connecting to a LAN. Any wires you might
have connecting your computers together now are Ethernet
wires, and the cable connecting your modem to your computer
is probably an Ethernet wire too.
Ghz. Gigahertz. A
measurement of frequency -- one gigahertz is one billion
cycles per second. You may recognise the measurement from
computer processor speeds, which are now also measured in
Ghz.
IEEE. The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In charge
of the wireless networking standard, as well as many other
computer-related standards (including the Ethernet standard).
They ensure that computer equipment made by different manufacturers
can work together.
Interoperable. Means
that two pieces of equipment are compatible. You can use
them together, because they stick to the standards. You should
not get any wireless equipment that isn't interoperable.
LAN. Local
Area Network. A network that is generally confined
to one building, such as a home or office. A wireless LAN
is also known as a WLAN.
Linux. An
alternative operating system to Windows. Computers running
Linux can run many programs and connect to the Internet without
needing Windows. Linux is free to download and you are allowed
to give it to friends to use. A lot of wireless devices run
Linux, or are compatible with it.
MAN. Metropolitan
Area Network. A network that covers a larger area,
for example a town or city. Wireless MANs (men?) spread
Internet access all over the area, but are expensive to
set up. They are sometimes used on university campuses.
Mbps. Megabits
per second, a measurement of connection speed. Not to be
confused with MBps, megabytes per second. There are eight
megabits in a megabyte.
PAN. Personal
Area Network. These are networks made up of devices
connected together in one small area. For example, your
computer with a USB keyboard and mouse connected is a PAN.
PANs can be wireless, using a technology called Bluetooth.
PCI. Peripheral
Component Interconnect. This is a way of installing
new devices inside your computer, such as graphics cards
and network devices. If you want to install a wireless
card inside your computer, you will be using PCI.
PCMCIA. Personal
Computer Memory Card International Association (some say
it should stand for 'People Can't Memorize Computer Industry
Acronyms'). A standard for plugging credit card-sized devices
into a laptop, to give it extra capabilities. PCMCIA is a
great way of adding wireless networking to your laptop as
easily as inserting a disk.
USB. Universal
Serial Bus. A port used for connecting all sorts
of devices to a computer, including keyboards, mice, printers,
external drives, and almost anything else you can think
of. If you don't want to open up your computer and you
don't have a laptop, you can get a USB wireless device.
WAN. Wide
Area Network. A network that is connected over
more than one physical site, such as a business that has
its computers in two countries connected on one network.
The Internet, for example, is a WAN -- the biggest WAN
in the world.
WEP. Wired
Equivalent Privacy. The old standard for encrypting
wireless networks. Unfortunately, it was found to be insecure
back in 2001, and so should no longer be used.
WPA. Wi-Fi
Protected Access. Basically an upgrade of WEP
to fix its security problems. WPA-encrypted networks change
their encryption method often, to avoid becoming vulnerable,
and also shut down for thirty seconds if they detect a
suspected attack.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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