Wireless high-speed Internet service provided by satellites. Some satellite broadband connections are two-way-up and down. Others are one-way, with the satellite providing a high-speed downlink and then using a dial-up telephone connection or other land-based system for the uplink to the Internet. (See broadband, dial-up).
Glossary
Satellite broadband
Security supplicant
Client software that coordinates authentication and session key creation.
Server
A computer that provides resources or services to other computers and devices on a network. Types of servers can include print servers, Internet servers, mail servers, and DHCP servers. A server can also be combined with a hub or router. (See DHCP, hub, router).
Site survey
A comprehensive facility study performed by network managers to insure that planned service levels will be met when a new wireless LAN, or additional WLAN segments to an existing network, are deployed. Site survey's are usually performed by a radio frequency engineer and used by systems integrators to identify the optimum placements of access points to insure that planned levels of service are met. Site surveys are sometimes conducted following the deployment to insure that the WLAN is achieving the necessary level of coverage. Site surveys can also be used to detect rogue access points. (See intrusion detection, rogue).
Sniffer
A software program that monitors network traffic. Sniffers can capture data being transmitted on a network and are sometimes used illegitimately to hack a network.
SOHO
The term describes an office or business with ten or fewer computers and/or employees.
SSID
A unique 32-character network name, or identifier, that differentiates one wireless LAN from another. All access points and clients attempting to connect to a specific WLAN must use the same SSID. The SSID can be any alphanumeric entry up to a maximum of 32 characters. (See ESSID, network name).
SSL
SSL-Secured Sockets Layer. A protocol used to secure Internet communications. SSL is commonly used to encrypt transactions on online retail and banking. SSL encrypts the exchange of information between a user's browser and Web server so only the intended parties can read it. When an SSL session begins, the server sends its public key to the browser. The browser then sends a randomly generated secret key back to the server in order to have a secret key exchange for that session. (See RC4).
Subnetwork, or subnet
An IP address range that is part of a larger address range. Subnets are used to subdivide a network address of a larger network into smaller networks. Subnets connect to other networks through a router. Each individual wireless LAN will typically use the same subnet for all of its clients. (See IP address, router).
Switch
A type of hub that controls device usage to prevent data collisions and insures optimal network performance. A switch acts as a network traffic cop: Rather than transmitting all the packets it receives to all ports, as a hub does, a switch transmits packets to only the receiving port. (See hub).