SMC Networks SMC2835W User Manual page 29

What is RTS Threshold?
(Request To Send) An RS-232 signal sent from the transmitting station to the receiving station
requesting permission to transmit. RTS is a collision avoidance method used by all 802.11b
wireless networking devices. In most cases you will not need to activate or administer RTS. Only
if you find yourself in an Infrastructure environment where all nodes are in range of the Access
Point but may be out of range of each other. It is recommended to leave this setting at its
default value leaving this feature disabled.
What is Authentication Algorithm?
Authentication Algorithm is the means by which one station is authorized to communicate with
another. In an Open System, any station can request authorization in accordance with the WECA
standard. In a Shared key system, only stations that possess a secret encrypted key may
participate in the network. This is a low level security key which allows the equipment with the
shared key algorithm to see each other on the wireless lan.
What is DBI?
The ability of the antenna to shape the signal and focus it in a particular direction is called
Antenna Gain, and is expressed in terms of how much stronger the signal in the desired direction
is, compared to the worst possible antenna, which distributes the signal evenly in all directions
(an Isotropic Radiator). To express the relationship to the Isotropic reference, this is abbreviated:
"dBi". The typical omni-directional "stick" antenna is rated at 6-8 dBi, indicating that that by
redirecting the signal that would have gone straight up or down to the horizontal level, 4 times as
much signal is available horizontally. A parabolic reflector design can easily achieve 24 dBi.
What is WEP?
Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy, WEP is a security protocol for wireless local area networks
(WLANs) defined in the 802.11b and 802.11a standards.
WEP is designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. LANs are inherently
more secure than WLANs because LANs are somewhat protected by the physicalities of their
structure, having some or all part of the network inside a building that can be protected from
unauthorized access. WLANs, which are over radio waves, do not have the same physical
structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering.
WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is
transmitted from one end point to another. The Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) feature uses the
RC4 PRNG algorithm developed by RSA Data Security, Inc.
If your wireless access point supports MAC filtering, it is recommended that you use this feature
in addition to WEP (MAC filtering is much more secure than encryption).