|
List of Commonly Used Acronyms & Initialisms AES – Advanced Encryptions Standard WLAN security encryption generally faster/more secure than TKIP. CM – Cable Modem Device that enables you to connect your PC to a Cable TV line. CMTS – Cable Modem Termination System Provides customers with Internet access. CPE – Customer Premise Equipment Equipment on the customer’s end (PC, Router, etc.). DBMV – Decibels to Millivolts Measure of signal strength in cables at RF frequency. DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Assigns dynamic IP addresses. DMCA – Digital Millennium Copyright Act Makes it illegal to share copyrighted items. DNS – Domain Name System Translates domain names into IP addresses. DOS – Disk Operating System Family of operating systems for x86-based computers. eMTA – Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter A combination cable modem and telephone adapter. HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol For transferring Web Pages to user’s browser. HTML – Hypertext Markup Language Used to create documents on the Net. IMAP – Internet Message Access Protocol Offers two-way communication between your webmail and email client. IP – Internet Protocol Specifies the format of packets and the addressing scheme. LAN – Local Area Network A small network in a single building or group of buildings. MAC – Media Access Control A lower sub layer of the OSI data link layer. MER – Modulation Error Ratio A measure used to quantify the performance of a digital radio transmitter or receiver in a communications system using digital modulation. MRTG – Multi Router Traffic Grapher Monitors the traffic load on network links. NIC – Network Interface Card Expansion board inserted into a PC so the computer can be connected to a network. OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer A company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. For example, if Acme Manufacturing Co. makes power cords that are used on IBM computers, Acme is an OEM. OS – Operating System A software platform on top of which other programs run. POP3 – Post Office Protocol Used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server. PSK – Pre-Shared Key Wireless security encryption keys that are entered into both sides of the message exchange. RF – Radio Frequency The range within which radio waves may be transmitted. SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol For sending e-mail messages between servers. SNR – Signal to Noise Ratio Measures the quality of a transmission signal. SSN – Social Security Number TCP/IP – Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Protocol used on the net. TKIP – Temporal Key Integrity Protocol A patch for WEP; automatically negotiates a new key every few minutes. TTS – Total Tech Services UBR – Universal Broadband Router Provides customers with Internet access. URL – Uniform Resource Locator The address of a web page on the Internet. WAN – Wide Area Network Network that spans a relatively large geographical area. WEP – Wired Equivalent Privacy A security protocol for wireless local area networks. Wi-Fi – Wireless Fidelity WLAN communications technology related to the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networking. A way of connecting to a computer network using radio waves instead of wires. The Wi-Fi Alliance says Wi-Fi is any "wireless local area network" (WLAN) that follows the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 specification. A Wi-Fi device can work with any Wi-Fi network anywhere in the world. 802.11g - max transmission 54 Mbit/s (realistically about 22 Mbit/s accounting for error correction and signal strength). 802.11g suffers from the same kind of 2.4GHz band interference that 802.11b does. 802.11n is a significant upgrade to the Wi-Fi standards—devices use multiple-input multiple-output antennas (MIMO) to operate on both the 2.4GHz and relatively empty 5GHz bands. 802.11n has a theoretical maximum of 300 Mbit/s but accounting for error correction and less than ideal conditions you can expect speeds in 100-150 Mbit/s range. 802.11ac is a huge upgrade that brings wider channels (80 or 160 MHz versus 40 MHz), more spatial streams (up to eight) and things like beamforming, which sort of send the waves directly to your device instead of bouncing all around, making things much faster. There are some models that can do one gigabit per second. WPA – Wi-Fi Protected Access A security protocol for WLAN’s using either TKIP or AES. W/O – Work Order
|