AirOrange Wireless Network: Glossary of Terms - Syracuse University

Following are a list of terms and definitions relating to the AirOrange Wireless Network project at Syracuse University.

802.11a - DSSS wireless networking that uses 5 GHz radio spectrum and achieves throughputs to 54 Mbps. Not compatible with 802.11b or 802.11g.
802.11b - DSSS wireless networking that uses 2.4 GHz radio spectrum and achieves throughputs to 11 Mbps.
802.11g - DSSS wireless networking that uses 2.4 GHz radio spectrum and achieves throughputs to 54 Mbps. Is compatible with 802.11b, but when 802.11b users connect to and 802.11g access point, 802.11g users will experience thoughputs closer to 802.11b.
AP - Short for Access Point
A hardware device or computer software that acts as a communication hub for users of a wireless device to connect to a wired LAN. APs are important for providing heightened wireless security and for extending the physical range of service accessible to a wireless user.
Association - Must be asociated before network connectivity occurs.
Authentication - A verification that a given user is who claim to be, based on user ID and password. Authentication will allow a user to access the Air Orange network. Authentication does not trigger any drive mappings or single-sign-on type actions.
DSSS - Acronym for Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum
DSSS is a transmission technology used in WLAN (wireless LAN) transmissions where a data signal at the sending station is combined with a higher data rate bit sequence, or chipping code, that divides the user data according to a spreading ratio. The chipping code is a redundant bit pattern for each bit that is transmitted, which increases the signal's resistance to interference. If one or more bits in the pattern are damaged during transmission, the original data can be recovered due to the redundancy of the transmission.
IEEE - Abbreviation of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
IEEE is an organization composed of engineers, scientists, and students. The IEEE is best known for developing standards for the computer and electronics industry. In particular, the IEEE 802 standards for local-area networks are widely followed. Infrastructure Mode - An 802.11 networking framework in which devices communicate with each other by first going through an Access Point (AP). In infrastructure mode, wireless devices can communicate with each other or can communicate with a wired network. When one AP is connected to wired network and a set of wireless stations it is referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS). An Extended Service Set (ESS) is a set of two or more BSSs that form a single subnetwork. Most corporate wireless LANs operate in infrastructure mode because they require access to the wired LAN in order to use services such as file servers or printers.
LAN - Acronym for Local Area Netowrk
A computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings.
SSID - Acronym for Service Set Identifier, which is the network name (i.e. AirOrange).
A 32-character unique identifier attached to the header of packets sent over a WLAN that acts as a password when a mobile device tries to connect to the BSS(Basic Service Set). The SSID differentiates one WLAN from another, so all access points and all devices attempting to connect to a specific WLAN must use the same SSID. A device will not be permitted to join the BSS unless it can provide the unique SSID. Because an SSID can be sniffed in plain text from a packet it does not supply any security to the network. An SSID is also referred to as a Network Name because essentially it is a name that identifies a wireless network.
Wi-Fi - Short for wireless fidelity
This is another name for IEEE 802.11b/g. It is a trade term promulgated by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). "Wi-Fi" is used in place of 802.11b/g in the same way that "Ethernet" is used in place of IEEE 802.3. Products certified as Wi-Fi by WECA are interoperable with each other even if they are from different manufacturers. A user with a Wi-Fi product can use any brand of Access Point with any other brand of client hardware that is built to the Wi-Fi standard.
WLAN - Acronym for wireless LAN
Also referred to as LAWN. A type of LAN that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate between nodes.

Additional Notes:

Ad hoc peer-to-peer networking should not be used at Syracuse University.
"Turbo mode," "Super G" and "Wi-Fi Plus" are non-standards-based technologies used by some manufacturers that are not compatible with AirOrange.