RF-Link WRT55AG - Manual (Page 53)

Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router
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Adapter - Printed circuit board that plugs into a PC to add to capabilities or
connectivity to a PC. In a networked environment, a network interface card is
the typical adapter that allows the PC or server to connect to the intranet and/or
Internet.
Ad-hoc Network - An ad-hoc network is a group of computers, each with a
wireless adapter, connected as an independent 802.11 wireless LAN. Ad-hoc
wireless computers operate on a peer-to-peer basis, communicating directly
with each other without the use of an access point. Ad-hoc mode is also
referred to as an Independent Basic Service Set or as peer-to-peer mode.
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) - A technology for transmitting
digital information at a high bandwidth on existing phone lines to homes and
businesses. Unlike regular dialup phone service, ADSL provides continuously-
available, "always on" connection. ADSL is asymmetric in that it uses most of
the channel to transmit downstream to the user and only a small part to receive
information from the user. ADSL simultaneously accommodates analog (voice)
information on the same line. ADSL is generally offered at downstream data
rates from 144 Kbps to about 6 Mbps. A form of ADSL, known as Universal
ADSL or G.lite, has been approved as a standard by the ITU-TS.
ADSL was specifically designed to exploit the one-way nature of most multi-
media communication in which large amounts of information flow toward the
user and only a small amount of interactive control information is returned.
Several experiments with ADSL to real users began in 1996. In 1998, wide-
scale installations began in several parts of the U.S. In 2000 and beyond, ADSL
and other forms of DSL are expected to become generally available in urban
areas. With ADSL (and other forms of DSL), telephone companies are com-
peting with cable companies and their cable modem services.
AppleTalk - An Apple Computer networking system that supports Apple's pro-
prietary local talk.
Auto-MDI/MDIX - On a network hub or switch, an auto-MDI/MDIX port
automatically senses if it needs to act as a MDI or MDIX port. The auto-
MDI/MDIX capability eliminates the need for crossover cables.
Auto-negotiate - To automatically determine the correct settings. The term is
often used with communications and networking. For example, Ethernet
10/100 cards, hubs and switches can determine the highest speed of the node
they are connected to and adjust their transmission rate accordingly.
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Backbone - The part of a network that connects most of the systems and net-
works together and handles the most data.
Bandwidth - The transmission capacity of a given facility, in terms of how
much data the facility can transmit in a fixed amount of time; expressed in bits
per second (bps).
Beacon Interval - A beacon is a packet broadcast by the Access Point to keep
the network synchronized. A beacon includes the wireless LAN service area,
the AP address, the Broadcast destination addresses, a time stamp, Delivery
Traffic Indicator Maps, and the Traffic Indicator Message (TIM).
Bit - A binary digit. The value - 0 or 1-used in the binary numbering system.
Also, the smallest form of data.
Boot - To cause the computer to start executing instructions. Personal comput-
ers contain built-in instructions in a ROM chip that are automatically executed
on startup. These instructions search for the operating system, load it and pass
control to it.
Broadband - A data-transmission scheme in which multiple signals share the
bandwidth of a medium. This allows the transmission of voice, data and video
signals over a single medium. Cable television uses broadband techniques to
deliver dozens of channels over one cable.
Browser - A browser is an application program that provides a way to look at
and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web or PC. The word
"browser" seems to have originated prior to the Web as a generic term for user
interfaces that let you browse text files online.
Buffer - A buffer is a shared or assigned memory area used by hardware
devices or program processes that operate at different speeds or with different
sets of priorities. The buffer allows each device or process to operate without
being held up by the other. In order for a buffer to be effective, the size of the
buffer and the algorithms for moving data into and out of the buffer need to be
considered by the buffer designer. Like a cache, a buffer is a "midpoint holding
place" but exists not so much to accelerate the speed of an activity as to sup-
port the coordination of separate activities.
Cable Modem - A device that connects a computer to the cable television net-
work, which in turn connects to the Internet. Once connected, cable modem
users have a continuous connection to the Internet. Cable modems feature
Instant Wireless ® Series