This page contains data on Wireless Networking.

Some Acronyms from the IEEE802.11 and IEEE802.16 world:

3G - Third Generation Cellular Technology
AAS - Adaptive Antenna System
AC - Authentication Center
ACK - Acknowledgment
ADPCM - Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation
ADSL - Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line
AES - Advanced Encryption Standard
AP - Access Point
API - Application Programming Interface
ARQ - Automatic Repeat Request
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASP - Application Server Provider
ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode
BFSK - Binary Frequency Shift Keying
BFWA - Broadband Fixed Wireless Access
BPSK - Binary Phase Shift Keying (modulation)
BSS - Basic Service Set
BTS - Base Transceiving Station
CAI - Common Air Interface
CCITT - The International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (deprecated, now the ITU)
CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access
CHAP - Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
CID - Connection ID
CLNP - Connectionless Network Protocol (OSI standard)
CPE - Customer Premises Equipment
CRC - Cyclic Redundancy Check
CS - Coding Scheme
CSMA - Carrier Sense Multiple Access
CSMA/CA - Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance
CSMA/CD - Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection
CTS - Clear to Send
DBMS - Database Management System
DCE - Data Communications Equipment
DCH - Dedicated Channel
DCS 1800 - Digital Cellular System 1800MHz
DCT - Digital Cordless Telephone
DECT - Digital European Cordless Telecommunications
DFSC - Diffserv Code Point
DHCP - Dynamic Host Control Protocol
DIFS - Distributed Interframe Spacing
DNS - Domain Name Service
DQPSK - Differential Quaternary Phase Shift Keying
DS - Distribution System
DSL - Digital Subscriber Line
DSMA/CD - Digital Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection
DSSS - Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
DTE - Data Terminal Equipment
DTR - Data Terminal Ready
Eb - Bit Energy (As in Eb/No)
EDACS - Enhanced Digital Access Communications System
EDGE - Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
EIRP - Effective Isotropic Radiated Power
ESS - Extended Service Set
ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards Institute
FCC - Federal Communications Commission
FDD - Frequency Division Duplex
FDM - Frequency Division Multiplexing
FDMA - Frequency Division Multiple Access
FEC - Forward Error Correction
FHSS - Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
FM - Frequency Modulation
FSK - Frequency Shift Keying (modulation)
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
GFSK - Gaussian Filtered FSK (modulation)
GMSK - Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (modulation)
GPRS - General Packet Radio Service (GSM)
GPS - Global Positioning System
GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications
HDLC - High Level Data Link Control
HDML - Handheld Device Markup Language
HDSL - High Speed Digital Subscriber Line
HIPERACCESS - High Performance Radio Access
HIPERLAN - High Performance Radio Local Area Network (ETSI, Europe)
HIPERMAN - High Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network
HPSK - Hybrid Phase Shift Keying
ICMP - Internet Control Message Protocol
IF - Intermediate Frequency
IMT2000 - International Mobile Telecommunications 2000
IMTS - International Mobile Telecommunications Service
IP - Internet Protocol (e.g. TCP/IP)
IR - InfraRed
IRDA - InfraRed Data Association
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network
ISM - Industrial Scientific Medical
ITU - International Telecommunications Union
LAN - Local Area Network
LCP - Link Control Protocol
LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
LEAP - Lightweight Extended Authentication Protocol
LLC - Logical Link Control
LMDS - Local Multipoint Distribution Services
LNA - Low Noise Amplifier
LOS - Line of Sight
MAC - Medium Access Control
MDS - Multipoint Distribution Services
MIMO - Multiple Input Multiple Output
MISO - Multiple Input Single Output
MMS - Multimedia Message Service
MPDU - MAC Protocol Data Unit
MRF - Multimedia Resource Function
MS - Mobile Station
MSC - Mobile Switching Center
MSS - Mobile Satellite Service
MWIF - Mobile Wireless Internet Forum
NAK - Negative Acknowledgment
NAPT - Network Address and Port Translation
No - Noise Power (As in Eb/No)
OFDM - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
OSI - Open Systems Interconnect
PA - Power Amplifier
PABX - Private Automatic Branch Exchange
PACS - Personal Access Communications System
PAD - Packet Assembler Disassembler
PAN - Personal Area Network
PBX - Private Branch Exchange
PCF - Point Coordination Function
PCM - Pulse Code Modulation
PCMCIA - Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PCN - Personal Communications Network
PCU - Packet Control Unit
PDA - Personal Digital Assistant
PHY - Physical Layer
PIFS - Point Interframe Spacing
PMP - Point to Multipoint
PMR - Private Mobile Radio
PPDN - Public Packet Data Network
PPP - Point to Point Protocol (networking)
PPTP - Point to Point Tunneling Protocol
PRMA - Packet Reservation Multiple Access
PSDN - Public Switched Data Network
PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network
QAM - Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
QOS - Quality of Service
QPSK - Quaternary Phase Shift Keying
RACE - R&D in Advanced Communications Technology in Europe
RACH - Random Access Channel
RADIUS - Remote Authentication Dial In User Service
RAN - Radio Access Network
RAS - Registration, Admission, Status
RCF - Radio Control Function
RF - Radio Frequency
RLL - Radio Local Loop
RSVP - Resource Reservation Protocol
RTS - Request to Send
RTSP - Real Time Streaming Protocol
SCDMA - Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access
SCF - Service Control Function
SDSL - Synchronous Digital Subscriber Line
SIFS - Short Interframe Spacing
SIM - Subscriber Identity Module
SIP - Session Initiation Protocol
SLIP - Serial Line Internet Protocol
SMS - Short Message Service
SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SRF - Special Resource Function
SSID - Service Set Identifier
SSL - Secure Sockets Layer
STC - Space Time Coding
STP - Service Transfer Point
SU - Subscriber Unit
TACS - Total Access Communications System
TCP - Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP)
TDD - Time Division Duplex
TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access
TE - Terminal Equipment
TETRA - Trans European Trunked Radio System
UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter
UDP - User Datagram Protocol
UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
UTRA - Universal Mobile Terrestrial Radio
UWB - Ultra Wide Band
VoIP - Voice over IP
VOP - Voice Over Packet
VPN - Virtual Private Network
W3C - World Wide Web Consortium
WAN - Wide Area Network
WAP - Wireless Application Protocol
WARC - World Administrative Radio Conference
WEP - Wired Equivalency Privacy
WiMAX - Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
WWW - World Wide Web
XML - Extensible Markup Language

All images (c) Mike Willis 2005