Proxicast Support - Glossary of Cellular & Wireless Terms
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Proxicast Support - Glossary of Cellular & Wireless Terms Wednesday March 11. 2009 ● Home ● Products ● Applications ● Support ● Partners ● Company ● Buy Glossary Support Links Common Terms for Cellular & Wireless Support Home Data Networking Knowledgebase Manuals 10/100: A term used to indicate Tech Notes that a device can support both Ethernet (at a data transfer rate of Support Bulletins 10Mbps) and Fast Ethernet (at a data transfer rate of 100Mbps). Software Updates 1G: The original analog, voice-only Cellular Carriers cellular telephone standard, developed in the 1980s. Analog Glossary cellular service is being phased out Proxicast's LAN-Cell 2 in all but the most rural areas in the Contact Support United States. 3G Cellular Router 1x (1xRTT): A cellular data technology for CDMA networks. RTT stands for Radio Transmission Contact Support Technology. 1xRTT has a theoretical maximum of 144 Kbps of bandwidth, but achieves a practical throughput of only 50 to 70 Kbps in the real world. If you can't find the answer in our documentation or 1xEV-DO: A third-generation cellular data technology for CDMA networks championed by Verizon knowledgebase, contact us via http://www.proxicast.com/support/glossary.htm (1 of 21) [3/11/2009 1:23:53 AM] Proxicast Support - Glossary of Cellular & Wireless Terms Wireless. EV-DO stands for Evolution Data Optimized (but is sometimes referred to as Evolution E-Mail or telephone with your Data Only). question. 1-877-777-7694 1xEV-DV: A third-generation cellular data technology for CDMA networks in chamioned by Sprint 1-412-213-2477 PCS and AT&T Wireless. EV-DV stands for Evolution Data/Voice. [email protected] 1xRTT (1x): A cellular data technology for CDMA networks. RTT stands for Radio Transmission Technology. 1xRTT has a theoretical maximum of 144 Kbps of bandwidth, but achieves a practical throughput of only 50 to 70 Kbps in the real world. 2G: Second-generation digital cellular service is the most widely used worldwide. It offers digital voice calling, limited Web-access capability, and Short Message Service (SMS). 2G cell phone standards include CDMA, TDMA, and GSM. 2.5G: Bridging the gap between 2G and 3G cellular service, 2.5G extends CDMA and GSM technologies with faster Web access, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and a change in radio architecture to handle more bandwidth.. 3DES (Triple DES): A block cipher formed from the Data Encryption Standard (DES) cipher by using it three times. See also DES & AES. 3G: Third-generation mobile communications technology, as defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), provides a global standard for cellular networks capable of handling live video calls and data access at broadband speeds. There are several flavors of 3G, including EDGE, CDMA 2000, 1X, WCDMA, UMTS, EV-DO, HPSDA and HSUPA 3G Modem: (Also known as a Cellular Modem, Mobile Modem, Mobile IP Modem, Wireless Modem) A wireless adapter that connects a laptop computer or other device to a cellular telephone system for data transfer. Cellular modems, often contain their own antennas and plug into a PC Card slot, a serial port or into the USB port of the computer or other device. Cellular modems can operate on a variety of wireless data services such as GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPDA, HSPUA, 1x and EV-DO. 3G Router: (Also known as a Cellular Router, Mobile Router, Mobile IP Router, Wireless Router, Cellular Gateway or Mobile Gateway) 3G routers provide shared Internet access by incorporating a 3G cellular data modem as a WAN interface (generally, also including Ethernet and Wi-Fi LAN interfaces). They can be deployed as a primary WAN link to a location where wired connections are not cost-effective, and can also be used as a secondary or business continuity plan should the primary cabled link fail. Cellular 3G routers range from simple SOHO network oriented devices through rugged industrial units with advanced features. See LAN-Cell 2. 4G: Fourth generation mobile communications technology. A somewhat vague term used to describe wireless mobile radio technologies that offer faster data rates than current 3G (third generation) technologies. 4G networks are also more data-centric and based on standard Internet technologies such as IP. Voice service is typically provided using a special form of VoIP. WiMAX and LTE are examples of 4G technologies. 802.11: A family of IEEE specifications related to wireless networking. See 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n. 802.11a: One of three wireless networking specifications under the Wi-Fi rubric. 802.11a uses the 5 GHz band and runs at 54 Mbps. 802.11a is little used outside specific business situations. http://www.proxicast.com/support/glossary.htm (2 of 21) [3/11/2009 1:23:53 AM] Proxicast Support - Glossary of Cellular & Wireless Terms 802.11b: The most common of the three wireless networking specifications included in the Wi-Fi certification mark. 802.11b uses the 2.4 GHz band and runs at 11 Mbps. 802.11e: A wireless standard that provides Quality of Service support for LANs. This is necessary for delay-sensitive applications such as Voice over Wireless IP. 802.11g: The newest of the three Wi-Fi specifications. 802.11g is backward compatible with 802.11b, thanks in part to its use of the 2.4 GHz band, and it runs at the 54 Mbps speed of 802.11a. Most new equipment uses 802.11g. 802.11h: A supplementary standard to 802.11 to comply with European regulations. It adds transmission power control and dynamic frequency selection. 802.11n: Not yet ratified, 802.11n offers both increased range and bandwidth, some proposals work at up to 540Mbps, though the goal of the standard is only 100Mbps. Some companies now offer products advertised as "Pre-N" 802.16: The technical name for WiMax. 802.16 and a subset, 802.16a, are used for long-haul and backhaul connections. 802.1X: An authentication specification that allows a client to connect to a wireless access point or wired switch but prevents the client from gaining access to the Internet until it provides credentials, like a user name and password, that are verified by a separate server. In 802.1X, there are three roles: the supplicant (client), authenticator (switch or access point), and authentication server. A Carrier: Most areas of the US have two cellular carriers, each of which operates on a different frequency band. One is designated the "A" carrier (non-wireline carrier) and the other is designated the "B" carrier. In some markets there may be only one carrier which may be "A" or "B". Access Fee: A monthly charge for the ability to connect to a wireless network. This fee is assessed monthly whether the phone is actually used or not. Access Point: The hub of a wireless network. Wireless clients connect to the access point, and traffic between two clients must travel through the access point. Access points are often abbreviated to AP in industry literature, and you may also see them referred to as "wireless routers," "wireless gateways," and "base stations." We prefer to use "access point" when discussing true access points that don't also share Internet connections or bridge between wired and wireless networks. Activation: Configuration of a wireless phone so that it is ready to be used to transmit and receive calls on the wireless network. Activation Fee: A one-time up-front charge for activation of a wireless phone. Ad Hoc Connections: Spur-of-the-moment connections made for a specific reason and then shut down. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): An extremely strong encryption standard adopted by the US government and now widely used worldwide for VPN and other encrypted communications. http://www.proxicast.com/support/glossary.htm (3 of 21) [3/11/2009 1:23:53 AM] Proxicast Support - Glossary of Cellular & Wireless Terms See also DES & 3DES. Aggregator: A company that resells access to other companies' wireless networks. Air-Interface: The standard operating system of a wireless network, which is used to communicate to and from the base stations and the handset; technologies include AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, and GSM. Alltel: A popular U.S. CDMA cellular carrier that offers 1x, EVDO Rev(0) and EVDO Rev(A) data service. Home Page. ALG: An Application Layer Gateway (ALG) is a device that manages a specific protocol (such as SIP, H.323 or FTP) at the application layer. Amplifier: A device you can connect to your antenna to increase the signal strength and amplify weak incoming signals. AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service): An analog cellular phone service standard used in the US and other countries. Analog: A method of modulating radio signals so that they can carry information such as voice or data. Antenna: A device that facilitates the transmission and reception of radio signals. AT&T (aka Cingular): A popular U.S. GSM cellular carrier that offers GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA and HSUPA data service. Home Page. Authentication: A feature used to reduce fraud by confirming the identity of a phone to the wireless network. B Carrier: Most areas of the US have two cellular carriers, each of which operates on a different frequency band. One is designated the "A" carrier and the other is designated the "B" carrier (wireline carrier). In some markets there may be only one carrier which may be "A" or "B". Bandwidth: Describes the transmission capacity of a medium in terms of a range of frequencies. A greater bandwidth indicates the ability to transmit a greater amount of data over a given period of time. Bandwidth Class: A bandwidth class defines bandwidth allowed at an interface for an application, such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and/or a subnetwork.