Asus WL-320gP - Wireless Access Point User Manual page 55

Chapter  - Appendix
on the network segment share total bandwidth. Ethernet networks operate
at 10Mbps using CSMA/CD to run over 10-BaseT cables.
Firewall
A firewall determines which information passes in and out of a network.
NAT can create a natural firewall by hiding a local network's IP addresses
from the Internet. A Firewall prevents anyone outside of your network from
accessing your computer and possibly damaging or viewing your files.
Gateway
A network point that manages all the data traffic of your network, as well
as to the Internet and connects one network to another.
IEEE
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE sets
standards for networking, including Ethernet LANs. IEEE standards ensure
interoperability between systems of the same type.
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.xx is a set of specifications for LANs from the Institute of Electrical
and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Most wired networks conform to 802.3,
the specification for CSMA/CD based Ethernet networks or 802.5, the
specification for token ring networks. 802.11 defines the standard for wireless
LANs encompassing three incompatible (non-interoperable) technologies:
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), Direct Sequence Spread
Spectrum (DSSS), and Infrared. 802.11 specifies a carrier sense media access
control and physical layer specifications for 1 and 2 Mbps wireless LANs.
IEEE 802.11a (Mbits/sec)
Compared with 802.11b: The 802.11b standard was designed to operate
in the 2.4-GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band using direct-
sequence spread-spectrum technology. The 802.11a standard, on the other
hand, was designed to operate in the more recently allocated 5-GHz UNII
(Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) band. And unlike 802.11b,
the 802.11a standard departs from the traditional spread-spectrum technology,
instead using a frequency division multiplexing scheme that's intended to
be friendlier to office environments.
The 802.11a standard, which supports data rates of up to 54 Mbps, is the
Fast Ethernet analog to 802.11b, which supports data rates of up to 11 Mbps.
Like Ethernet and Fast Ethernet, 802.11b and 802.11a use an identical
MAC (Media Access Control). However, while Fast Ethernet uses the same
ASUS 802.11g Access Point