3com 3CRWE875075A User Manual

11

Access Point—An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and 
wireless networks.

Ad Hoc—An ad hoc wireless LAN is a group of computers, each with LAN adapters, 
connected as an independent wireless LAN.

Backbone—The core infrastructure of a network. The portion of the network that 
transports information from one central location to another central location where it is 
unloaded onto a local system.

Base Station—In mobile telecommunications, a base station is the central radio 
transmitter/receiver that maintains communications with the mobile radiotelephone 
sets within its range. In cellular and personal communications applications, each cell 
or micro-cell has its own base station; each base station in turn is interconnected with 
other cells’ bases.

BSS—Basic Service Set. It is an access point and all the LAN PCs that are associated 
with it.

CSMA/CA—Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance.

EAP—Extensible Authentication Protocol, which provides a generalized framework 
for several different authentication methods.

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