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Wireless PCI Adapter
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Appendix: Glossary
Ad.Hoc -- Ad.Hoc mode allows computers equipped with wireless
transmitters and receivers to communicate directly with each other, eliminating
the need for an access point.
Adapter – Printed circuit board that plugs into a PC to add to capabilities or
connectivity to a PC. In a networked environment, a network interface card
(NIC) is the typical adapter that allows the PC or server to connect to the
intranet and/or Internet.
Backbone – The part of a network that connects most of the systems and
networks together and handles the most data.
Bandwidth – The transmission capacity of a given facility, in terms of how
much data the facility can transmit in a fixed amount of time; expressed in bits
per second (bps).
Bit – A binary digit. The value 0 or 1 used in the binary numbering system.
Also, the smallest form of data.
Boot – To cause the computer to start executing instructions.
Personal computers contain built-in instructions in ROM chip that are
automatically executed on startup. These instructions search for the
operating system, load it, and pass control to it.
Bridge – A device that interconnects different networks together.
Wireless PCI Adapter
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Broadband – A data-transmission scheme in which multiple signals share
the bandwidth of a single medium. This allows the transmission of voice, data,
and video signals over that medium. Cable television uses broadband
techniques to deliver dozens of channels over one cable.
Browser – A browser is an application program that provides a way to look
at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web or PC.
The word “browser” seems to have originated prior to the Web as a generic
term for user interfaces that let you browse text files online.
Cable Modem – A device that connects a computer to the cable television
network, which in turn connects to the Internet. Once connected, cable
modem users have a continuous connection to the Internet. Cable modems
feature asymmetric transfer rates: around 36 Mbps downstream (from the
Internet to the computer), and from 200 Kbps to 2 Mbps upstream (from the
computer to the Internet).
Data Packet – One frame in a packet-switched message. Most data
communication is based on dividing the transmitted message into packets.
For example, an Ethernet packet can be from 64 to 1518 bytes in length.
Default Gateway – The routing device used to forward all traffic that is
not addressed to a station within the local subnet.