Microsoft MN-150 manual Glossary

glossary.

This glossary contains common terms for wired and wireless networking.

100Base-T Also known as “Fast Ethernet,” an Ethernet cable standard with a data transfer rate of up to 100 Mbps.

10Base-T An older Ethernet cable standard with a data transfer rate of up to 10 Mbps.

802.11, 802.11b A family of IEEE-defined specifications for wireless networks. Includes the 802.11b standard, which supports high-speed (up to 11 Mbps) wireless data transmission. Microsoft® Broadband Networking wireless products comply with the 802.11b standard.

802.3The IEEE-defined specification that describes the characteristics of Ethernet connections.

access point See wireless access point.

ad hoc network A solely wireless computer-to-computer network. Unlike an infrastructure network, an ad hoc network does not include a central base station, router, or gateway.

adapter See network adapter.

base station A device (also known as a router or gateway) that acts as a central point for networked devices, receives transmitted messages, and forwards them. Microsoft Broadband Networking base stations can link many computers on a single network, and can share a secure Internet connection with wired and wireless devices.

broadband connection A high-speed connection, typically 256 Kbps or faster. Broadband services include cable modems and DSL.

broadband modem A device that enables a broadband connection to access the Internet. The two most common types of broadband modems are cable modems, which rely upon cable television infrastructure, and DSL modems, which rely upon telephone lines operating at DSL speeds.

cable modem See broadband modem.

CAT 5 cable Abbreviation for “Category 5 cable.” A type of Ethernet cable that has a maximum data rate of 100 Mbps.

client Any computer or program that connects to, or requests the services of, another computer or program on a network. For a local area network or the Internet, a client is a computer that uses shared network resources provided by a server.