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GLOSSARY
104
auto answer
Sets the modem to pick up the phone line when it detects
a certain number of rings. See S-register S0 in the
“Technical Quick Reference.”
auto dial
A process where your modem dials a call for you. The
dialing process is initiated by sending an ATDT (dial tone)
or ATDP (dial pulse) command followed by the telephone
number. Auto dial is used to dial voice numbers. See
command Dn.
baud rate
A term used to measure the speed of an analog
transmission from one point to another. Although not
technically accurate, baud rate is commonly used to mean
bit rate.
binary digit
A 0 or 1, reflecting the use of the binary numbering
system. Used because the computer recognizes either of
two states, OFF or ON. Shortened form of binary digit is
bit.
bit rate
Also referred to as transmission rate. The number of
binary digits, or bits, transmitted per second (bps).
Communications channels using analog modems are
established at set bit rates, commonly 2400, 4800, 9600,
14,400, 28,800 and higher.
bits per second (bps)
The bits (binary digits) per second rate. Thousands of
bits per second are expressed as kilobits per second
(kbps).
buffer
A temporary memory area used as storage during input
and output operations. An example is the modem's
command buffer.
byte
A group of binary digits stored and operated upon as a
unit. Most often the term refers to 8-bit units or
characters. One kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1,024 bytes or
characters; 640 KB is equal to 655,360 bytes or characters.