Siemens 300 57

Glossary

Network

A network is a group of devices connected in wired or wireless mode so that they can share resources such as data and peripherals. A general distinction is made between local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN).

Network adapter

The network adapter is the hardware device that implements the connection of a network component to a local network. The connection can be wired or wireless. An Ether- net network card is an example of a wired network adapter. The Gigaset USB Adapter 300 is an examples of a wireless network adapter.

A network adapter has a unique address, the MAC address.

Protocol

A protocol describes the arrangements for communicating on a network. It contains rules for opening, administering and closing a connection, for data formats, time frames and error handling. The TCP/IP protocols are an example of protocols used for communication within a network.

RC4

RC4 is an encryption algorithm on which WEP and TKIP encryption are based. Special features of this algorithm are a secret key and variable key length.

Roaming

Roaming extends the range of a wireless LAN with several Access points that use the same SSID and the same radio channel and are linked via Encryption. The PCs in the network can switch dynamically between several access points without losing the existing network connection.

Router

A router directs data packets from one local network (LAN) to another via the fastest route. A router makes it possible to connect networks that have different network tech- nologies. For example, it can link a local network via Encryption or WLAN technology to the Internet.