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them are not always precise, because certain capabilities associated with
one can also be added to another. For example, a router can do bridging,
and a hub may also be a switch. But they are all involved in making sure
data is transferred from one location to another. A bridge connects devices
that all use the same kind of protocol. A router can connect networks that
use differing protocols. It also reads the addresses included in the packets
and routes them to the appropriate computer station, working with any other
routers in the network to choose the best path to send the packets on. A
wireless hub or access point adds a few capabilities such as roaming and
provides a network connection to a variety of clients, but it does not allocate
bandwidth. A switch is a hub that has extra intelligence: It can read the
address of a packet and send it to the appropriate computer station. A
wireless gateway is an access point that provides additional capabilities
such as NAT routing, DHCP, firewalls, security, etc.
Ad-Hoc mode. A client setting that provides independent peer-to peer
connectivity in a wireless LAN. An alternative set-up is one where PCs
communicate with each other through an AP.
Applet. An application or utility program that is designed to do a very
specific and limited task.
Backbone. The central part of a large network that links two or more subnet
works and is the primary path for data transmission for a large business or
corporation. A network can have a wired backbone or a wireless backbone.
Bandwidth. The amount of transmission capacity that is 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 PCs to a network. It is similar to a pipeline in that capacity is
determined by size: the wider the pipe, the more water can flow through it;
the more bandwidth a network provides, the more data can flow through it.
Standard 802.11b provides a bandwidth of 11 Mbps; 802.11a and 802.11g
provide a bandwidth of 54 Mbps.
Bits per second (bps). A measure of data transmission speed over
communication lines based on the number of bits that can be sent or
received per second. Bits per second-bps-is often confused with bytes per
second-Bps. While "bits" is a measure of transmission speed, "bytes" is a
measure of storage capability. 8bits make a byte, so if a wireless network is
operating at a bandwidth of 11 megabits per second (11 Mbps or 11 Mbits/
sec.), it is sending data at 1.375 megabytes per second (1.375 MBps).
3-in-1 Access Point
ViewSonic
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