3G – The third generation of mobile phones, it uses digital packet-switched technology allowing broadband and video. A Ad-Hoc Mode - Somewhat archaic term used to describe a device-to-device network. ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) - Technology for transmitting information at high bandwidths using existing phone lines (up to 2Mbit/sec). AP (Access Point) - The name of the device that connects wireless devices to a further network, this can be wireless LAN, Internet Modem or others. ASCII 7 bit (128 char) - The American Standard Code for Information Interchange B Bandwidth - The capacity of data that a line or channel can carry in a given amount of time. Determines the speed at which information can be sent across a network. The larger the bandwidth, the faster the data flows. Digital bandwidth is measured in bps. Bluetooth - A method of connecting mobile electronic devices that uses radio waves without the need of cables. Allows transmission of voice and data in the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum within a range of about 30 feet. BPS (Bits Per Second) - The unit used to measure the speed of data transfer. It is often normally expressed in thousands, Kbps, or millions, Mbps Broadband - Currently taken to mean data transfer of 2Mbit/sec or greater. Has a large enough bandwidth to accommodate multiple voice, data and video channels simultaneously. Bus - A non type-specific multi-contact interconnection system Bus Adaptor - An adaptor that allows the use of PC Card radios in desktop computers. C Client - Any computer that is connected to a network that and requests files and services from the server or network devices. Also refers to end users. Client-server - A network that has a powerful main computer of which the server or file server acts as a data store and controls access to data, workstations and peripherals by a string of networked computers (clients). Collision Avoidance- A process of detecting whether a node on an Ethernet network can transmit a signal without colliding with other signals on the network. Examples include CSMA/CA and CSMA/CD. CPU (Central Processing Unit) - The electronic chip at the heart of a computer. D DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - A standard protocol for assigning IP addresses from a pre-defined list to nodes on a network. Network nodes automatically receive an IP address from a pool. The DHCP server provides an IP address to a client for a set time period DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - A digital circuit between a business/ residence and telephone company office. It allows high speeds data over existing telephone wires. Domain name - A website address that when entered into an Internet browser, connects the computer to the desired site. DNS (Domain Name Suffix) - The terms at the end of a domain name or email address, eg co.uk E EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) - A platform run by trading partners for the exchange of business documents between computers. Encryption- A mechanism for providing data confidentiality. Ethernet- The most popular international standard for wired LAN’s. Often used for the first link to a router when connecting to the internet. It provides from 10 Mbps transmission speeds on basic 10BastT Ethernet networks to 100 Mbps transmission speeds on Fast Ethernet networks, 1000 Mbps on Gigabit Ethernet, and 10,000 Mbps on 10 Gigabit Ethernet, the same as IEEE802.3. F Firewall - a software application that blocks unwanted data and traffic to a computer network based on set security guidelines. Firewalls are fundamental to security but must be configured properly to be effective. G GHz- 1,000,000,000 Hz or cycles per second. Gateway- An Access Point with some additional features such DHCP, NAT and Firewall. GPS (Global Positioning System) - The use of satellites to allow receivers to locate their precise location. GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) - A common second generation digital standard for mobile phones. GPRS (General Packet Radio System) - Technology used in GSM networks that transmits data packets without the need for a dedicated circuit. Enables fast and larger data transfers. H Host - A computer running a website. Hotspot- An area where users can access the internet using Wi-Fi enabled laptops or devices. HTML (Hypertext Mark-Up Language) - HTML is the language the worldwide web is written in. Hub - The central point of a network that allows computers to share resources and data. Hyperlink - A link through which a user can click to access separate websites or applications. I ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - An information transfer standard for transmitting digital voice and data over telephone lines at speeds up to 128Kbps. ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A company that provides access to the Internet. IP (Internet Protocol) - The main communications protocol of the internet IEEE - Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (USA) J JPEG - A form of compressed image that does not compromise the quality of the image during compression. L LAN (Local Area Network) - A way of linking computers so that they can share information and peripherals such as a printer. LINUX UNIX- Like operating system for PCs. M MAC Address (Media Access Control), A unique number that can be used to identity each device on a network. Mbit/sec - Million bits per second. Mesh Network- A communications network with at least two pathways to each node, forming a net. The network is meshed when each node is connected to one another. Nodes can switch from one another if they are not linked to make all the connections necessary. MHz - Million Hertz (cycles) per second N Network - A network is formed when computers are connected together or to peripherals such as printers, scanners, or modems. Node - Any computer or device connected to a network, such as the Internet. NAT (Network Address Translation) - A network function that enables multiple computers to share a single incoming IP address. The single NAT address is taken and translated into a single incoming IP address for each client. O Omnidirectional - Antenna with all round equal response. P PC Card - A removable memory device that can be Wi-Fi network cards, memory cards, modems and hard drives. Peer-to-peer - A network that links a series of computers together without the use of a server. All the networked PCs are able to act as a network server or client, and each client computer can talk to all the other wireless computers without having to go through an access point or hub. Peripheral - Any device connected to the main computer unit, such as the keyboard, monitor or printer. Proxy Server- A technique used in larger companies and organizations to improve network operations and security. The proxy server forwards allowable data requests to remote servers and/or responds to data requests directly from stored remote server data. R Remote access – The ability to connect to a device through communications lines such as phone lines or Wide Area Networks in order to access applications and information hosted elsewhere. Residual Gateway- A device that enables multiple devices accessing the same network to access the internet and communicate amongst one another. Router - A device used to connect different computer networks together and provides local network addresses. S Serial port - A socket on a computer intended for the connection of modems. Increasingly being replaced by the USB port or even an Internet connection. Server - A powerful computer on a network that acts as a store for data and software. It also controls access to workstations, printers and other parts of the network. Switch - A hub that controls device usage to prevent data collisions and insures optimal network performance. T TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) - The underlying technology of Internet communications. U URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - The World Wide Web address of a site on the Internet. USB (Universal Serial Bus) - A high-speed bidirectional serial connection between a PC used to transfer data between the computer and peripherals. V VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) - A method for transmitting telephone calls over the internet. VPN (Virtually Private Network) - A network that uses data encryption to allow secure access over the Internet. W WAN (Wide Area Network) - Usually cable based and spanning large areas so that computers can share peripherals and data. WAP (Wireless Applications Protocol) – A protocol for delivering applications to mobile devices including mobile phones, pagers and two-way radios. Wireless Network -Devices connected to a network using a wireless access point. WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) - A local area network whereby data is transmitted using high frequency radio waves, (Typically a high speed co-axial cable interconnection in the form of a 10-100Mbit/sec Ethernet) WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network) - A wireless data network in which users throughout a metropolitan area can freely access the Internet. WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) - A network that wirelessly connects devices close range. Includes Bluetooth. X XML (Extensible Markup Language) - A more recent language used to write documents for the worldwide web. Allows users to create your own tags to define how something appears within the document.

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