Glossary - ZyXEL Communications Prestige 941 User Manual

Prestige 941 Cable Router
Appendix A

Glossary

10BaseT: The 10-Mbps baseband Ethernet specification that uses two pairs of twisted-pair cabling
(Category 3 or 5): one pair for transmitting data and the other for receiving data.
ARP: Address Resolution Protocol is a protocol for mapping an Internet Protocol address (IP address) to a
physical machine address that is recognized in the local network.
Bandwidth: This is the capacity on a link usually measured in bits-per-second (bps).
Bit (Binary Digit): A single digit number in base-2, in other words, either a 1 or a zero. The smallest unit of
computerized data.
Byte: A set of bits that represent a single character. There are 8 bits in a Byte.
Cable Modem (CM): A cable modem is a device that enables you to hook up your computer to a local
cable TV line and receive data at about 1.5 Mbps. This data rate far exceeds that of the prevalent 28.8 and 56
Kbps telephone modems, and up to 128 Kbps of ISDN that is about the data rate available to subscribers of
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) telephone service. A cable modem can be added to or integrated with a set top
box that turns your TV set into an Internet channel. For computer attachment, the cable line must be split so
that part of the line goes to the TV set and the other part goes to the cable modem and the computer.
A cable modem is more like a network interface card (NIC) than a computer modem. All of the cable
modems attached to a cable TV company coaxial cable line communicate with a Cable Modem Termination
System (CMTS) at the local cable TV company office. All cable modems can receive only from and send
signals to the CMTS, but not to other cable modems on the line.
CATV: Cable TV system. Can be all coaxial- or HFC- (Hybrid Fiber Coax) based.
CDR: Call Detail Record. This is a name used by telephone companies for call-related information.
Channel: A specific frequency and bandwidth combination. In the present context, it means TV channels
for television services and downstream data for cable modems.
Glossary A