Wireless Technology Glossary

Access point – A transceiver in wireless computer networks.
Amplifier – An electrical device which strengthens the power or gain of a wireless signal in order to send a signal over longer distances.
Bridge – A network hardware-software device for wireless connection of geographically remote sites.
Directional Antenna – An antenna with a radiation pattern that concentrates both the transmitting and receiving signal power into one favored direction.
Fresnel Zone – An extra clearance zone around and in addition to the the visual line-of-sight path.
Hardware – Any equipment—such as a personal computer, server, printer, scanner, etc.—that can be connected to other equipment or to a computer network.
Hub – Network hardware via which other hardware is connected to a common network.
Line-of-Sight – The presence of an unobstructed visual path with a clear Fresnel zone between two wireless devices. Both a visual path and a clear Fresnel zone are needed to have a clear wireless line-of-sight path.
Network Adapter – Equipment used to connect hardware to a computer network.
Network Card – The same as a network adapter.
Omni-Directional Antenna – An antenna with a radiation pattern that, when viewed from above, is equally strong in all directions.
Panel Antenna – A directional antenna with a flat reflector.
Parabolic Antenna – A directional antenna made up of a dipole element mounted in front of a parabolic-shaped reflector.
Repeater – A device used to increase the power of a signal transmitted to an adjacent segment of a computer network or communications bridge.
Router – A network hardware-software device that links two or more computer networks.
Switch – Network hardware used to automatically control data traffic in computer networks.

Acronyms and Abbreviations

ACK – ACKnowledge – A transmission control character transmitted by the receiving station as an affirmative response to the sending station.
CCK – Complementary Code Keying – A modulation scheme used with wireless networks.
CSMA/CA – Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance – A protocol for carrier transmission that prevents collisions before they happen.
CSMA/CD – Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect – A protocol for carrier transmission that interrupts data transmission when a collision is detected.
DBPSK – Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying – A modulation scheme used with wireless networks.
DQPSK – Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying – A modulation scheme used with wireless networks.
DSSS – Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum – A physical media that uses a “chipping” technique to spread modulated data across the spectrum.
LAN – Local area network.
NAK – Negative Acknowledgement – A transmission control character sent by a station as a negative response to the station with which the connection has been set up.
MMDS – Multi-Channel Multi-Point Distribution System – A broadband communications service that operates in the ultra-high-frequency (UHF) portion of the radio spectrum.
WEP – Wired Equivalent Privacy – A security protocol that is designed to provide a wireless local area network with a level of security and privacy comparable to what is usually expected of a wired LAN.
WLAN – Wireless local area network.

More information:

• Catalog of wireless products