wireless local area network : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: wireless local area network	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for wireless local area network
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wireless local area network n a local area network that uses high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet; uses ethernet protocol Synonym(s): wireless local area network, WLAN, wireless fidelity, WiFi
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
wireless local area network (WLAN /W-lan/, or "LAWN" /lorn/, sometimes "WiLAN" /wi-lan/) A communication system that transmits and receives data using modulated electromagnetic waves, implemented as an extension to, or as an alternative for, a {wired} {LAN}. WLANs are typically found within a small {client} {node}-dense locale (e.g. a campus or office building), or anywhere a traditional network cannot be deployed for logistical reasons. Benefits include user mobility in the coverage area, speed and simplicity of physical setup, and {scalability}. Being a military spin-off, WLANs also provide security features such as {encryption}, {frequency hopping}, and {firewalls}. Some of these are intrinsic to the {protocol}, making WLANs at least as secure as wired networks, and usually more so. The drawbacks are high initial cost (mostly {hardware}), limited range, possibility of mutual interference, amd the need to security-enable clients. The established protocols are covered by {IEEE 802.11 (http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/)}. Recent developments include the {Bluetooth} project and other WPAN, or {Personal Area Network} initiatives, accessible through {IEEE 802.15 working group (http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/15/)}. {Wireless Lan Association (http://www.wlana.org/)}. {Usenet} newsgroups: {news:comp.dcom.lans.misc}, {news:comp.std.wireless}. (2003-09-23)