NETGEAR WG302NA manual CSMA-CD Carrier Sense Multiple Action/Collision Detection

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe Wireless Access Point 802.11g WG302

CSMA-CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Action/Collision Detection)

A method of managing traffic and reducing noise on an Ethernet network. A network device transmits data after detecting that a channel is available. However, if two devices transmit data simultaneously, the sending devices detect a collision and retransmit after a random time delay.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

A utility that enables a server to dynamically assign IP addresses from a predefined list and limit their time of use so that they can be reassigned. Without DHCP, an IT Manager would have to manually enter in all the IP addresses of all the computers on the network. When DHCP is used, whenever a computer logs onto the network, it automatically gets an IP address assigned to it.

Diversity: antenna

A type of antenna system that uses two antennas to maximize reception and transmission quality and reduce interference

DNS (Domain Name System)

A program that translates URLs to IP addresses by accessing a database maintained on a collection of Internet servers. The program works behind the scenes to facilitate surfing the Web with alpha versus numeric addresses. A DNS server converts a name like mywebsite.com to a series of numbers like 107.22.55.26. Every website has its own specific IP address on the Internet.

Encryption Key

An alphanumeric (letters and/or numbers) series that enables data to be encrypted and then decrypted so it can be safely shared among members of a network. WEP uses an encryption key that automatically encrypts outgoing wireless data. On the receiving side, the same encryption key enables the computer to automatically decrypt the information so it can be read.

Enhanced Data Encryption through TKIP

To improve data encryption, Wi-Fi Protected Access utilizes its Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP provides important data encryption enhancements including a per-packet key mixing function, a message integrity check (MIC) named Michael, an extended initialization vector (IV) with sequencing rules, and a re-keying mechanism. Through these enhancements, TKIP addresses all WEP known vulnerabilities.

Enterprise-level User Authentication via 802.1x and EAP

WEP has almost no user authentication mechanism. To strengthen user authentication, Wi-Fi Protected Access implements 802.1x and the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). Together, these implementations provide a framework for strong user authentication. This framework utilizes a central authentication server, such as RADIUS, to authenticate each user on the network before they join it, and also employs "mutual authentication" so that the wireless user doesn’t accidentally join a rogue network that might steal its network credentials.

Glossary 5

July 2005 v3.0