GL-1
Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide for Cisco Aironet Access Points
OL-11350-01

GLOSSARY

802.11 The IEEE standard that specifies carrier sense media access control and physical
layer specifications for 1- and 2-megabit-per-second (Mbps) wireless LANs
operating in the 2.4-GHz band.
802.11a The IEEE standard that specifies carrier sense media access control and physical
layer specifications for wireless LANs operating in the 5-GHz frequency band.
802.11b The IEEE standard that specifies carrier sense media access control and physical
layer specifications for 5.5- and 11-Mbps wireless LANs operating in the
2.4-GHz frequency band.
802.11g The IEEE standard that specifies carrier sense media across control and physical
layer specifications for 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54 Mbps LANs operating in
the 2.4-GHz frequency band.
802.3af The IEEE standard that specifies a mechanism for Power over Ethernet (PoE).
The standard provides the capability to deliver both power and data over
standard Ethernet cabling.
A
access point A wireless LAN data transceiver that uses radio waves to connect a wired
network with wireless stations.
ad hoc network A wireless network composed of stations without Access Points.
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.
associated A station is configured properly to allow it to wirelessly communicate with an
Access Point.
B
backoff time The random length of time that a station waits before sending a packet on the
LAN. Backoff time is a multiple of slot time, so a decrease in slot time ultimately
decreases the backoff time, which increases throughput.