GLOSSARY
802.11a The IEEE specification for wireless Ethernet which allows speeds of up
to 54 Mbps in the 5GHz range. The standard provides for 6, 12, 24,
36, 48 and 54 Mbps data rates. The rates will switch automatically
depending on range and environment.
802.11b The IEEE specification for wireless Ethernet which allows speeds of up
to 11 Mbps. The standard provides for 1, 2, 5.5 and 11 Mbps data
rates. The rates will switch automatically depending on range and
environment.
802.11g The IEEE specification for wireless Ethernet which allows speeds of up
to 54 Mbps in the 2.5 GHz range. The standard provides for 6, 12, 24,
36, 48 and 54 Mbps data rates. The rates will switch automatically
depending on range and environment.
access point A device through which wireless clients (or stations) connect to other
wireless clients and which acts as a bridge between wireless clients and
a wired network, such as Ethernet. Wireless clients can be moved
anywhere within the coverage area of the Access Point and still
connect with each other. If connected to an Ethernet network, the
Access Point monitors Ethernet traffic and forwards appropriate
Ethernet messages to the wireless network, while also monitoring
wireless client radio traffic and forwarding wireless client messages to
the Ethernet LAN.
ad hoc mode Ad hoc mode is a configuration supported by most wireless clients. It is
used to connect a peer to peer network together without the use of an
Access Point. It offers lower performance than infrastructure mode,
used by the Access Point. See also infrastructure mode.
bandwidth The information capacity, measured in bits per second, that a channel
can transmit. The bandwidth of Ethernet is 10 Mbps; the bandwidth of
Fast Ethernet is 100 Mbps. The bandwidth for 802.11b wireless is
11Mbps. The bandwidth for 802.11g is 54 Mbps.
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