TDMA
Time division multiple access (TDMA) is digital transmission technology that allows a
number of users to access a single radio-frequency (RF) channel without interference
by allocating unique time slots to each user within each channel. The TDMA digital
transmission scheme multiplexes three signals over a single channel. The current
TDMA standard for cellular divides a single channel into six time slots, with each
signal using two slots, providing a 3 to 1 gain in capacity over advanced mobile-
phone service (AMPS). Each caller is assigned a specific time slot for transmission.
USB
Universal Serial Bus.
Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks,
modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer.
A “plug-and-play” interface, it allows a device to be added without an adapter card
and without rebooting the computer (the latter is known as hot-plugging). The USB
standard, developed by several major computer and telecommunications companies,
supports data-transfer speeds up to 12 megabits per second, multiple data streams,
and up to 127 peripherals.
WLAN
A Wireless Local Area Network links devices via a wireless distribution method
(typically spread-spectrum or OFDM radio), and usually provides a connection
through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move
around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network.
WPAN
A Wireless Personal Area Network is a personal area network - a network for
interconnecting devices centered around an individual person's workspace - in which
the connections are wireless. Typically, a wireless personal area network uses some
technology that permits communication within about 10 meters - in other words, a
very short range.
WWAN
Stands for "Wide Area Network." It is similar to a Local Area Network (LAN), but it is
not limited to a single location and it uses Mobile telecommunication cellular network
technologies such as UMTS, GPRS, CDMA2000, GSM, CDPD, Mobitex, HSDPA or
3G to transfer data. WWAN connectivity allows a user with a laptop and a WWAN
card to surf the web, check email, or connect to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) from
anywhere within the regional boundaries of cellular service.