Fixed Wireless Glossary

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• H
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A

Access Point (AP)

A Wireless Access Point, also called a Base Station, is a wireless LAN or WAN data transceiver that uses radio waves to connect a wired network with wireless stations. It is the "Point" in a "Point-to-Multipoint" system.

Antenna Gain

The gain of an antenna is a measure of the antenna's ability to direct or focus radio energy over a region of space. High gain antennas have a more focused radiation pattern in a specific direction.

AP-Centric

The Access5830 is a Point-to-Multipoint system with the access point being the single point and Subscriber Units being the multi-points. It is sometimes referred to as a cell system. See also Base Station.

API 

Application Programming Interface.

Associated

Term used to describe an AP and SU which are communicating in a wireless link.

AGC

Automatic Gain Control

ATPC

Automatic Transmit Power Control

B

Base Station

The center of a point-to-multipoint deployment, also called a cell site. A base station is typically the location of multiple access points.

BER

Bit Error Rate

BPF

Band Pass Filter

Broadcast Packet

A single data message (packet) sent to all addresses on the same subnet.

C

Cat-5

Category 5 Ethernet cable. For more info, see Cat-5 Ethernet Cable Pin-out.

COS

Class of Service

CCK

Complementary Code Keying. CCK is a modulation technique used for wireless WAN transmission at 5.5 and 11 Mbps.

Cell

The area of radio range or coverage in which the wireless devices can communicate with the base station. The size of the cell depends upon the speed of the transmission, the type of antenna used, and the physical environment, as well as other factors.

Customer Premise Equipment (CPE)

Communications equipment that resides and operaters at the customer's place of operation. The CPE for Trango point-to-multipoint systems is the subscriber unit. See also Subscriber Unit.

D

Data Rates

The range of data transmission rates supported by a device. Data rates are measured in megabits per second (Mbps).

dB

Decibel

dBi

A ratio of decibels to an isotropic antenna that is commonly used to measure antenna gain. The greater the dBi value, the higher the gain, and the more acute the angle of coverage.

DHCP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A protocol available with many operating systems that automatically issues IP addresses within a specified range to devices on the network. The device retains the assigned address for a specific administrator-defined period.

Directional Antenna

A directional antenna transmits a signal in a particular direction towards the receiver similar to a beam of light from a flashlight.

Domain Name

The text name that refers to a grouping of networks or network resources based on organization-type or geography. For example: name.com — commercial, name.edu — educational, name.gov — government, name.net — network provider (such as an ISP), name.ar — Argentina, name.au — Australia, and so on.

DNS

Domain Name Server. A server that translates text names into IP addresses. The server maintains a database of host alphanumeric names and their corresponding IP addresses.

DSSS

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum. A type of spread spectrum radio transmission that spreads its signal continuously over a wide frequency band.

E

E1

European-Carrier 1

Ethernet

The most widely used wired local area network. Ethernet uses carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) to allow computers to share a network and operates at 10, 100, or 1000 Mbps, depending on the physical layer used.

EIRP

Effective Isotropic Radiated Power. Conducted RF power in dBm plus antenna gain in dBi.

F

FCC

Federal Communication Commission

FEC

Forward Error Correction

File Server

A repository for sharing files, mail, and programs over a local area network (LAN).

Firmware

Software that is programmed on a memory chip.

Fixed Wireless

Fixed wireless networks connect two fixed locations (e.g., buildings, towers etc.) with either point-to-point or point-to-multipoint wireless radios and delivers data, voice, video, and other encoded digital or analog communications between the two or more sites.

FPGA

Field Programmable Gate-Array

FTP

File Transfer Protocol. A member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols, used to copy files between two computers through the Internet. Both computers must support their respective FTP roles: one must be an FTP client and the other an FTP server.

G

Gateway

A device that connects two otherwise incompatible networks together.

GHz

Gigahertz. One billion cycles per second. A unit of measure for wireless frequency.

GigE

Gigabit Ethernet

H

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the set of rules for exchanging files (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the World Wide Web. HTTP is an application protocol relative to the TCP/IP suite of protocols, which are the basis for information exchange on the Internet.

Essential concepts that are part of HTTP include the principal idea that files can contain references to other files whose selection elicit additional transfer requests. Any Web server machine contains, in addition to the HTML and other files it can serve, an HTTP daemon — a program that is designed to wait for HTTP requests and handle them when they arrive. Your Web browser is an HTTP client, sending requests to server machines. When the browser user enters file requests by either "opening" a Web file (typing in a Uniform Resource Locator or URL) or clicking on a hypertext link, the browser builds an HTTP request and sends it to the Internet Protocol address indicated by the URL. The HTTP daemon in the destination server machine receives the request and, after any necessary processing, the requested file is returned. Default TCP port is 80.

HTTPD

HyperText Transfer Protocol Daemon

HTTPS

HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure

I

IDU

Indoor Unit

IEEE

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The IEEE is a professional society that serves electrical engineers through its publications, conferences, and standards development activities. It is the body responsible for the Ethernet 802.3 and wireless LAN 802.11 specifications.

IF

Intermediate Frequency

Infrastructure

The wired Ethernet network.

IP

Internet Protocol.

IP Address

The Internet Protocol address of a station, or the layer three address used in routing packets.

IP Subnet Mask

The number used to identify the IP subnetwork, indicating whether the IP address can be recognized on the LAN, or if it must be reached through a gateway. Number is expressed in a form similar to an IP address (i.e. 255.255.255.0).

ISM

Industrial Scientific Medical. FCC designation for various parts of the radio spectrum originally allocated for unlicensed use. For the Access5830, it refers to the 5.725 to 5.850 frequency band.

ISP

Internet Service Provider. A network operator that delivers Internet access services to its end-customers. See also WISP.

Isotropic

A theoretical antenna that radiates its signal 360 degrees both vertically and horizontally in a perfect sphere.

L

LAN

Local Area Network. A computer communications network usually with a central server that connects a number of computers so that users can share programs and files, usually users confined within a local geographical area, such as a home, office or small group of buildings. See WLAN.

LB

Loopback

LED

Light-emitting Diode

LIU

Line Interface Unit

M

MAC Address

Media Access Control Address. A unique 48-bit number used in Ethernet data packets to identify an Ethernet device, such as an Access Point, your client adapter, or a Subscriber Unit.

MAN

Metropolitan Area Network. A communications network, which covers a geographic area such as a city or suburb. See also WMAN.

Mbps

Megabits per second. A measure of data transmission speed — 1,000,000 bits per second or approximately 125,000 characters per second

Megabit

Approximately one million bits. A unit of measure for an amount of data.

Modulation

Any of several techniques for combining user information with a transmitter's carrier signal.

MSE

Mean Square Error

MU

Master Unit, is a wireless LAN data transceiver that uses radio waves to connect a wired network with a remote station.

Multi-path

The echoes created as a radio signal bounces off of physical objects.

Multicast Packet

A single data message (packet) sent to multiple addresses.

O

ODU

Outdoor Unit

Opmode

Operation Mode

Omni-directional Antenna

An omni-directional antenna is a primarily circular rod-shaped antenna that radiates the radio frequency in all directions from the antenna, like ripples caused by a rock thrown in a pond.

OS

Operating System

P

Packet

A basic message unit for communication across a network. A packet usually includes routing information, data, and sometimes error detection information.

PIC

A Series of microcontrollers a product of the Microchip Technology

Point-to-MultiPoint (PtMP / PMP)

A network topology that connects a single endpoint to two or more endpoints. For example, in an ISP to customer premise scenario, one access point can distribute data to multiple subscribers

Point-to-Point (PtP / PTP / P2P)

The simplest of network topologies, a direct link connecting one endpoint to another.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology that powers a remote Ethernet device by transfering electrical power over the same standard twisted-pair Ethernet cable that is used to also send Ethernet data communications.

Protocol

A set of rules which govern communication between two network devices. Using a network medium (i.e. wireless, copper wire, etc.), computers pass information from one to another in an organized fashion using these communication rules. Example protocols: TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, Apple Talk, Net BEUI, HTTP, FTP, etc.

Protocol Duties Include:

• The type of error checking to be used
• Data compression method, if any
• How the sending device will indicate that it has finished sending a message
• How the receiving device will indicate that it has received a message

Q

QAM

Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

QoS

Quality of Service

QPSK

Quadrature Phase Shift Keying

R

Range

A linear measure of the distance that a transmitter can send a signal.

Receiver Sensitivity

A measurement of the weakest signal a receiver can receive and still correctly translate it into data.

RF

Radio Frequency. A generic term for wireless radio-based technology.

RJ-45

Registered Jack - 45

RS-232

Recommended Standard 232

RSSI

Receive Signal Strength Indicator

RU

Remote Unit, is a wireless LAN data transceiver that uses radio waves to connect a remote station with a wired network.

Rx

Receive

S

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol. A network protocol used to manage TCP/IP networks. In Windows, the SNMP service is used to provide status information about a host on a TCP/IP network

Spread Spectrum

A radio transmission technology that spreads the user information over a much wider bandwidth than otherwise required in order to gain benefits such as improved interference tolerance and unlicensed operation.

SSH

Secure Shell

Subscriber Unit (SU)

A subscriber unit (also called subscriber module) is a broadband radio installed at a business or residential customer's location via a wireless access point to deliver broadband Internet access. Also see Customer Premise Equipment (CPE).

Sysinfo

System Information

T

T1 T

1.544 Mbps telephony carrier 1

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol. A connection oriented reliable protocol that guarantees the delivery and correct sequencing of delivered packets.

TDM

Time-Division Multiplexing

T/I

Threshold to Interference

Telnet

Is a terminal-emulation protocol that is widely used on the Internet to log on to network computers. Telnet also refers to the through a command line interface (CLI) application that uses the Telnet protocol for users who log on from remote locations.

TFTP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol

TFTPD

Trivial File Transfer Protocol Daemon

Transmit Power

The power level the radio transmits from its antenna port.

Tx

Transmit

U

UNII

Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure. Regulations for UNII devices operating in the 5.15 to 5.35 GHz and 5.725 to 5.825 GHz frequency bands.

UNII-1

Regulations for UNII devices operating in the 5.15 to 5.25 GHz frequency band.

UNII-2

Regulations for UNII devices operating in the 5.25 to 5.35 GHz frequency band.

UNII-3

Regulations for UNII devices operating in the 5.725 to 5.825 GHz frequency band.

Unicast Packet

A single data message (packet) sent to a specific IP address.

UDP

User Datagram Protocol. A TCP complement that offers a connectionless datagram service that guarantees neither delivery nor correct sequencing of delivered packets (much like IP).

V

VLAN

Virtual Local Area Network. See LAN.

W

WAN

Wide Area Network. A communications network, which covers wide geographic areas such as states and countries. The size of a network is limited due to size and distance constraints. However, LAN networks may be connected together to create a WAN. See also WMAN, WLAN.

WLAN

Wireless Wide Area Network. A LAN that is built using wireless technology. See LAN.

Workstation

A computing device with an installed client adapter.

WISP

Wireless Internet Service Provider. A network operator, or ISP that utilizes mostly wireless radio equipment to deliver Internet access services to its end-customers. See ISP.

WWAN

Wireless Wide Area Network. A WAN that is built using wireless technology. See WAN.