B&B Electronics WLNN-AN(ER,SE,SP.EK)-DP551 - Manual - Manual (Page 259)

Airborne Enterprise CLI Reference Manual 259
21.0 Glossary
This is a glossary of wireless terminology.
4-Way Handshake A connection method where each side of the connection acts independently
(four packets are exchanged between the supplicant and the authenticator)
and is required to successfully complete the WPA authentication process.
802.11 Wireless standards developed by the IEEE that specify an “over-the-air”
interface for wireless Local Area Networks. 802.11 is composed of several
standards operating in different radio frequencies.
802.11a 802.11a is an IEEE specification for wireless networking that operates in the
5 GHz frequency range (5.725 GHz to 5.850 GHz) with a maximum 54 Mbps
data transfer rate. The 5 GHz frequency band is not as crowded as the
2.4-GHz frequency because the 802.11a specification offers more radio
channels than the 802.11b. These additional channels can help avoid radio
and microwave interference.
802.11b 802.11b is the international standard for wireless networking that operates in
the 2.4 GHz frequency range (2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz) and provides a
throughput of up to 11 Mbps.
802.11g 802.11g is similar to 802.11b, but this forthcoming standard provides a
throughput of up to 54 Mbps. It also operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band
but uses a different radio technology to boost overall bandwidth.
802.11n 802.11n is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard to improve network
throughput over the 802.11a and 802.11g standards. This is achieved by
supporting multiple spatial streams, modulation and coding schemes (MCS)
and a wider channel width of 40MHz.
Access Point An interface between a wireless network and a wired network. Access Points
can combine with a distribution system (such as Ethernet) to create multiple
radio cells (BSSs) that enable roaming throughout a facility.
Ad hoc mode A wireless network composed of only stations and no Access Point.
Association service An IEEE 802.11 service that enables the mapping of a wireless station to the
distribution system via an Access Point.
Asynchronous
transmission A type of synchronization where there is no defined time relationship between
the transmission of frames.
Authentication The process a station uses to announce its identity to another station.
IEEE 802.11 specifies two forms of authentication: open system and shared
key.
Authentication
Server An entity providing authentication service to the authenticator. It may be co-
located with an authenticator (e.g., as in a Cisco 1200 Access Point), but is
usually an external server (e.g., RADIUS).
Authenticator The entity that requires the entity on the other end of the link to be
authenticated.
Bandwidth The amount of transmission capacity available on a network at any point in
time. Available bandwidth depends on several variables such as the rate of
data transmission speed between networked devices, network overhead,
number of users, and the type of device used to connect devices to a
network.