Wireless Glossary – B

The central part of a network. The backbone network connects all remote and sub networks to each other and to the central infrastructure (such as the mail server, Internet gateway, and so on).

The portion of premises telecommunications cabling that provides connections between telecommunications rooms, equipment rooms and entrance facilities. The backbone cabling consists of the transmission media (optical fiber cable), main and intermediate cross-connects, and terminations for the horizontal cross-connect, equipment rooms and entrance facilities. The backbone cabling can further be classified as campus backbone (cabling between buildings) or building backbone (cabling between floors or closets within a building).

A module that provides point-to-point connectivity as either a standalone link or a link to an Access Point cluster through a selected Access Point Module.

Technique for measuring the attenuation along an optical fiber.

An advanced class of routing protocol that utilizes the best characteristics from link-state and routing protocols. These are capable of effectively and quickly constructing their routing information and converging when any topology changes occur.

Measured in millions of bits per second, bandwidth represents the total amount of data that can travel over a communications medium. Knowing bandwidth helps to analyze network performance. The availability of bandwidth is limited, but increasing every year.

An interface configuration command that designates a logical speed to the interface for precise routing metrics.

If an interface is running in Outdoor mode (WORP), it is either a base or a subscriber interface. A base interface controls the communication on the channel and is located in the central part of the network cell. Multiple SUs can connect to one base. Two bases cannot communicate with each other.

A type of the radio equipment at one fixed location used to serve one or more cells/ sectors in a wireless network. This allows user equipment devices to communicate with the rest of the network.

Any frequency band on which information is superimposed, whether or not the band is multiplexed and information is sent on sub-bands. The frequency band is not shifted to some other frequency band but remains at its original place in the electromagnetic spectrum.

A signal which will be modulated onto a radio carrier.

Bearer capability, a transmission function which the UE requests to the network.

Base station Color Code, 3 bits of a Base Station Identification Code (BSIC).

Broadcast Control Channel represents the logical channel carrying broadcast system information.

Broadcast Channel, the transport channel carrying broadcast system information except that which is contained in the Master Information Block (MIB).

Bearer Control Mode indicates “mobile station only” or “mobile station / network”. If the BCM is “mobile station only”, the mobile station requests any additional Packet Data Protocol (PDP) contexts for the PDP Address / Access Point Name (APN) pair. If the BCM is “mobile station/network”, then the mobile station and the Packet Data Network GateWay (P-GW) or Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) may request additional PDP contexts.

In case the Designated Router fails, this router is specified in OSPF as a redundant device that can take over.

The angle of signal coverage provided by a radio. Beamwidth may by decreased by a directional antenna to increase gain.

Per channel, it supplies 64 Kbps of bandwidth and is used as a building block for ISDN connections.

Bbit Error Rate or Bit Error Ratio is the number of bit errors divided by the total number of transferred bits during a studied time interval.

The ratio of incorrect data received to correct data received.

A computer language that utilizes bit values of 0 or 1.

Bluetooth is a specification for the use of low-power radio communications to wirelessly link phones, computers and other network devices over short distances.

Developed in the late 1940’s as a miniature version of the Type C connector, BNC stands for Bayonet Neill Concelman and is named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman. The BNC product line is a miniature quick connect/disconnect RF connector.

This mathematical operation is utilized to identify the network ID and broadcast IP assigned to an IP address and subnet mask.

The protocol used for the static assignment of IP addresses to devices on the network.

Sent in an STP environment, this Layer 2 message’s purpose is to advertise bridge IDs, root bridge MAC addresses, and root path costs.

Bits per second, a unit for measuring the rate of transmission of digital data.

Binary Phase Shift Keying

An Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line that consists of two 64Kbps bearer (B) channels and one 16Kbps data (D) channel. Voice, video, and data traffic can be carried over the B channels. Signals between telephone company switches use the D channel.

Located at the Data Link layer, this hardware device connects two segments in a single network or connects two networks. Bridges forward data between those segments/networks without analyzing or redirecting the data in any way.

A device used to connect LANs by forwarding packets across connections at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer.

Value that the operator sets as the maximum interval for no activity with another module, whose MAC address is the Bridge Entry. This interval should be longer than the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) cache timeout of the router that feeds the network.

A Spanning Tree Protocol switch identifier comprised of a combination of bridge priority and MAC address.

The term broadband refers to any type of transmission technique that carries several data channels over a common wire. DSL service, for example, combines separate voice and data channels over a single telephone line.

A broadband router combines the features of a traditional network switch, a firewall, and a DHCP server. Broadband routers are designed for convenience in setting up home networks, particularly for homes with high-speed cable modem or DSL Internet service.

Broadband wireless access is a technology aimed at providing wireless access to data networks, with high data rates. According to the 802.16-2004 standard, broadband means ‘having instantaneous bandwidth greater than around 1 MHz and supporting data rates greater than about 1.5 Mbit/s’. From the point of view of connectivity, broadband wireless access is equivalent to broadband wired access, such as ADSL or cable modems.

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) are usually found in rural areas where cable or DSL is not available. A common case scenario is that a WISP will get large connection such as a T1 or DS3 and deliver it to a high point in the area such as a high rise or water tower. Then the consumers will mount a small dish to the roof of their home or office and point it towards the high area. Line of sight is usually necessary for wireless access to work.

An Ethernet LAN address. Within this, a frame is sent to all devices in the LAN. Broadcast addresses are always the same value of FFFF.FFFF.FFFF.

Segmented by routers, this is a group of nodes that are able to receive each other’s broadcast messages.

Composed of multiple devices that utilize the same medium and can hear each others’ broadcasts and multicast messages. One example are Ethernet networks.

A broadcast storm is a large series of broadcast packets (most often caused by wrong network configuration) that severely impact the network performance.

Describes a network topology that is comprised of an independent wireless access point which manages a group of clients.

Base Transceiver Station is a base station in GSM system.

Theoretical data repositories that can be filled at preset rates or emptied when preset conditions are experienced, such as when data fis transferred.

A protective material extruded directly on the fiber coating to protect it from the environment (tight-buffered); extruding a tube around the coated fiber to allow isolation of the fiber from stresses in the cable (buffer tubes).

Preset amount limit of data that may be continuously transferred.

A network topology in which the nodes are connnected on a single cable (also known as a trunk or a backbone). Signals are sent from one end of the cable to the other.