Confused Yet? Wireless Jargon

Articles on Wireless | Topic: wireless

by Todd

Confused Yet? Wireless Jargon.

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 to 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.

Bit of History

He who, in an enlightened and literary society, aspires to be a great poet, must first become a little child. He must take to pieces the whole web of his mind. He must unlearn much of that knowledge which has perhaps constituted hitherto his chief title to superiority. His very talents will be a hindrance to him.

—Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859)

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 Memorise 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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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Confused Yet? Wireless Jargon" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by WebDesignConferencing.com.

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