Wireless Network Glossary-Part6

POE
Power over Ethernet. A standard to deliver both power and data through one single Ethernet cable (UTP/STP). It allows network device to be installed far away from power ource. A POE system typically compose of 2 main component: DC Injector (Base Unit) and Splitter(Terminal Unit). The DC injector combines the power and data, and the splitter separates the data and power back. A PoE Access Point or CPE has the splitter built-in to the device. The IEEE 802.3af is a POE spec that uses 48 volt to deliver power up to 100 meter distance.

Port
This word has 2 different meaning for networking.
􀁺 The hardware connection point on a computer or networking device used for plugging in a cable or an adapter.
􀁺 The virtual connection point through which a computer uses a specific application on a server.


PPPoE
Point-to- Point Protocol over Ethernet. PPPoE relies on two widely accepted standards: PPP and Ethernet. PPPoE is a specification for connecting the users on an Ethernet to the Internet through a common broadband medium, such as a single DSL line, wireless device or cable modem.

PPTP
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol: A VPN protocol developed by PPTP Forum. With PPTP, users can dial in to their corporate network via the Internet. If users require data encryption when using the Windows PPTP client, the remote VPN server must support MPPE (Microsoft Point-To-Point Encryption Protocol) encryption. PPTP is also used by some ISP for user authentication, particularly when pairing with legacy Alcatel / Thomson ADSL modem.

Preamble Type
Preamble are sent with each wireless packet transmit for transmission status. Use the long preamble type for better compatibility. Use the short preamble type for better performance.


Rate Control
Ethernet switches' function to control the upstream and downstream speed of an individual port. Rate Control management uses "Flow Control" to limit the speed of a port. Therefore, the Ethernet adapter must also have the flow control enabled. One way to force the adapter's flow control on is to set a port to half-duplex mode.

RADIUS
Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service. An authentication and accounting system used by many Internet Service Providers (ISPs). When you dial in to the ISP, you must enter your username and password. This information is passed to a RADIUS server, which checks that the information is correct, and then authorizes access to the ISP system. Radius typically uses port 1812 and port 1813 for authentication and accounting port. Though not an official standard, the RADIUS specification is maintained by a working group
of the IETF.


Receiver Sensitivity
Receiver sensitivity means how sensitive is the radio for receiving signal. In general; the slower the ransmission speed, the more sensitive the radio is. The unit for Receiver Sensitivity is in dB; the lower the absolute value is, the higher the signal strength. For example, -50dB is higher than -80dB.


RJ-45
Standard connectors for Twisted Pair copper cable used in Ethernet networks. Although they look similar to standard RJ-11 telephone connectors, RJ-45 connectors can have up to eight wires, whereas telephone connectors have only four.