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54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614v7 Reference Manual
-6 Glossary
April 2006
Gateway
In the wireless world, a gateway is an access point with additional software capabilities such as providing
NAT and DHCP. Gateways may also provide VPN support, roaming, firewalls, various levels of security,
etc.
Hot Spot (also referred to as Public Access Location)
A place where you can access Wi-Fi service. This can be for free or for a fee. HotSpots can be inside a coffee
shop, airport lounge, train station, convention center, hotel or any other public meeting area. Corporations
and campuses are also implementing HotSpots to provide wireless Internet access to their visitors and
guests. In some parts of the world, HotSpots are known as CoolSpots.
Hub
A multiport device used to connect PCs to a network via Ethernet cabling or via Wi-Fi. Wired hubs can have
numerous ports and can transmit data at speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to multigigabyte speeds per second.
A hub transmits packets it receives to all the connected ports. A small wired hub may only connect 4
computers; a large hub can connect 48 or more. Wireless hubs can connect hundreds.
Hz (‘hertz”)
The international unit for measuring frequency, equivalent to the older unit of cycles per second. One
megahertz (MHz) is one million hertz. One gigahertz (GHz) is one billion hertz. The standard US electrical
power frequency is 60 Hz, the AM broadcast radio frequency band is 535—1605 kHz, the FM broadcast
radio frequency band is 88—108 MHz, and wireless 802.11b LANs operate at 2.4 GHz.
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
A membership organization (www.ieee.org) that includes engineers, scientists and students in electronics
and allied fields. It has more than 300,000 members and is involved with setting standards for computers and
communications.
IEEE 802.11
A set of specifications for LANs from The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Most
wired networks conform to 802.3, the specification for CSMA/CD based Ethernet networks or 802.5, the
specification for token ring networks. 802.11 defines the standard for wireless LANs encompassing three
incompatible (non-interoperable) technologies: Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Infrared. WECA’s (Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance – now
Wi-Fi Alliance) focus is on 802.11b, an 11 Mbps high-rate DSSS standard for wireless networks.
Infrastructure mode
A client setting providing connectivity to an access point (AP). As compared to Ad-Hoc mode, whereby PCs
communicate directly with each other, clients set in Infrastructure Mode all pass data through a central AP.
The AP not only mediates wireless network traffic in the immediate neighborhood, but also provides
communication with the wired network. See Ad-Hoc and AP.