Wire World Of America 1800 manual 130

Bandwidth. A measure of the width or capacity of a communications channel. Greater bandwidth allows communication of more information in a given period of time. Bandwidth is generally described either in terms of analog signals in units of Hertz (Hz), which describes the maximum number of cycles per second, or in terms of digital signals in units of bits per second (bps).

Bit. The basic unit in data communications, represented as either a one or a zero. When discussing digital data, a small “b” refers to bits, and a capital “B” refers to bytes.

Bit Rate. The number of bits of data transmitted over a phone line per second.

Broadband. Broadband is the largest size bandwidth category, meaning that there are the most channels of data moving over a single communication medium, thus information such as data, voice, and video can be received and sent most quickly.

Byte. A compilation of bits. ASCII code uses seven information bits and one parity bit for error control, while EBCDIC standards call for eight information bits. Other less common standards call for more or less bits in a byte.

C

CAP. See Carrierless Amplitude Phase.

Carrier. A signal of a specific frequency which is modulated to transmit information.

Carrierless Amplitude Phase (CAP). A type of quadrature amplitude modulation, used for some types of DSL, that stores pieces of a modulated message signal in memory and then reassembles the parts in the modulated wave.

Category 5. Also known as CAT5. A category of cabling that is used for local area networks with voice and data needs.

Central Processing Unit (CPU). The core of a computer, which uses a stored program to manipulate information.

Circuit-switched Network. A type of network in which a continuous link is established and reserved between a source and a receiver. This type of network is used in telephony applications to ensure minimal delay and to reserve an appropriate level of transmission capacity for the call. Most phone conversation takes place on a circuit-switched network.

Compression. The process of reducing the representation of information. This is often needed in order to transmit a specific audio, video, or data file without using a large amount of transmission time or capacity.

CPE. See Customer Premises Equipment.

CPU. See Central Processing Unit.

Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Any piece of equipment in a communication system that resides on the customer's premises. Examples include modems, television set-top boxes, telephones and televisions.

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