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Access Points Wireless network component with an antenna that broadcasts the wireless signal to many users and enables them to access the network resources, including the Internet. DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol DHCP is a protocol for dynamically assigning IP addresses to networked computers. With DHCP, a computer can automatically be given a unique IP address each time it connects to a network--making IP address management an easier task for network administrators. When a computer logs on to the network, the DHCP server selects an IP address from a master list and assigns to the system. Most operating systems include DHCP support. 802.11b/Wi-Fi This technology connects computers together without wires. Wireless networks are currently the fastest growing type of networks in the U.S., because users can set them up without running cables between their computers. They also allow a laptop user the freedom to roam about the house, or in some cases, the front or backyard, and the user still maintains access to the rest of the network. IP address Internet Protocol Address This address is a unique string of numbers that identifies a computer on the Internet. These numbers are usually shown in four groups separated by periods, like this: 192.168.1.10. Every user on the network must have a valid Address-otherwise network resources will be unavailable. MAC/NIC Address Media Access Control/Network Interface Card Every device that connects to a network (wired or wireless) has a unique number. The MAC or NIC address is that number. Instaconnect uses that number to identify your machine on our network and grant you access to network resources. PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect If you have a Pentium system, it's likely that it has a self-configuring PC local bus called PCI. If you have a Pentium or newer processor, make sure any new card or internal wireless adapter you buy is a PCI device. PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association This serious mouthful of acronym stands for the name of a trade association founded in 1989 to establish standards for expansion cards for portable computers. Based in Sunnyvale, California, the PCMCIA's specifications for the PC Card enabled the computer industry to manufacture credit-card-sized removable cards to add RAM, modems, network adapters, hard disks, and even radio devices, like pagers and global positioning systems, to portable computers. Many people call PC Cards by the longer name PCMCIA cards. The association has trademarked the term PC Card, so that's the preferred usage. SSID Service Set Identifier SSID (sometimes called ESSID) is an identification name that wireless devices use to make connections. In order for wireless devices to communicate, they must all be set to the same channel and they must all use the same SSID. For instance, if you are using an access point to connect two computers using wireless devices, the access point and each of the wireless devices must usse the same SSID. Even if they are set to the same channel, they cannot communicate unless the SSID is the same. TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol These two protocols were developed by the U.S. Military to allow computers to talk to each other over long distance networks. TCP is responsible for verifying delivery from client to server. IP is responsible for moving packets of data between nodes. TCP/IP forms the basis of the Internet, and is built into every common modern operating system. WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy In order to combat concerns about the security of wireless connections, WEP encryption was invented. Wired Equivalent Privacy got its name from this effort: the goal of the process is to produce the same level of data security as in a wired network. |
