G-L

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A network of 24 satellites used for precise navigation. The GPS satellites circle the earth and transmit time-coded signals. In order to triangulate a position on Earth, a GPS receiver must receive a signal from at least 3 of the 24 satellites. If a device receives a signal from at least 4 satellites, it can determine the user’s altitude in addition to their latitudinal and longitudinal position.

HomeRF

A wireless home networking standard, now defunct and unsupported, that also operated in the 2.4 GHz band.

infrastructure mode

One of the two modes of WLAN operation. In infrastructure mode, WLAN clients communicate through access points, rather than directly with one another.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

An international, technical professional organization (also called I-triple-E). The IEEE is a nonprofit organization and produced the 802.11 family of standards, as well as standards for Ethernet. The IEEE is one of the leading authorities in many areas, including computers, telecommunications, and power generation.

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

Windows software that allows you to share your computer’s Internet connection with computers on the same network. To share its Internet connection via ICS, a computer needs two network connections, one to the Internet and one to the local network.

Internet Protocol (IP) address

A numeric address that every computer must have in order to communicate on a TCP/IP network. The IP address can be dynamically assigned by a DHCP server, or be manually assigned and permanent (static).

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

A company that provides Internet access to its customers, either through dial-up connections over the phone lines or through broadband connections (cable and DSL).

Local Area Network (LAN)

A network comprised of connected computers in the same local area, for example, an office building or your home.

Line-of-Sight (LOS)

A wireless connection that requires an unobstructed path between sending and receiving antennas on a network. The signal must travel from point to point without encountering any obstacles.