Kodak EasyShare-One zoom digital camera — User's guide

Access point - (Also called AP.) A wireless network transceiver or "base station" that can connect a wired local area network to one or many wireless devices. Access points can also bridge to each other.

Ad Hoc - A client setting that provides independent device-to-device connectivity in a wireless local area network. An alternative set-up is one where PCs communicate with each other through an access point.

Bridge - A product that connects a local area network to another local area network that uses the same protocol (for example, wireless, Ethernet or token ring). Wireless bridges are commonly used to link buildings in campuses.

Client - An application on a computer or device connected to a network that requests services (files, print capability) from another member of the network.

DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol: a utility that enables a server to dynamically assign IP addresses from a predefined list and limit their time of use so they can be reassigned. Without DHCP, an IT Manager would have to manually enter in all the IP addresses of all the clients on the network. With DHCP, whenever a client logs onto the network, it automatically gets an IP address assigned to it.

DNS - Domain Name System (or Service, or Server): a program that translates URLs to IP addresses by accessing a database maintained on a collection of Internet servers. The program works behind the scenes to facilitate surfing the Web with alpha versus numeric addresses. A DNS server converts a name like mywebsite.com to a series of numbers like 107.22.55.26. Every Web site has its own specific IP address on the Internet.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Lines: various technology protocols for high-speed data, voice and video transmission over ordinary twisted-pair copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) telephone wires.

Encryption key - An alphanumeric (letters and/or numbers) series that enables data to be encrypted then decrypted so it can be safely shared among members of a network. WEP uses an encryption key that automatically encrypts outgoing wireless data. On the receiving side, the same encryption key enables the computer to automatically decrypt the information so it can be read.

Infrastructure - A client setting providing connectivity to an access point. As compared to Ad Hoc mode, whereby PCs communicate directly with each other, clients set in Infrastructure Mode all pass data through a central access point. The access point not only mediates wireless network traffic in the immediate neighborhood, but also provides communication with the wired network.

IP - Internet Protocol: technology that supports voice, data and video transmission via IP-based local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet. This includes VoIP (Voice over IP).

IP address - A number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent across the Internet.

Network name - Identifies the wireless network for all the shared components. During the installation process for most wireless networks, you need to enter the network name or SSID. Different network names are used when setting up your individual computer, wired network or workgroup.

Router - A access point (AP) or device that sends data from one local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) to another. A router monitors and controls data flow and sends information using the most efficient route based on traffic load, line costs, speed, bad connections, etc.

SSID - Service Set Identifier: also referred to as a network name, since it is essentially a name that identifies a wireless network. The identifier is attached to the a wireless local area network (WLAN) and acts as a password when a mobile device tries to connect to the system. A device will not be permitted to join the network unless it can provide the unique SSID. An SSID can be broadcast by the network router, allowing devices to detect it as an available network. An SSID does not supply security to the network.

SSL - Secure Sockets Layer: a commonly used encryption scheme used by many online retail and banking sites to protect the financial integrity of transactions.

TCP/IP - The underlying technology behind the Internet and communications between computers in a network.

WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy: basic wireless security provided by Wi-Fi. In some instances, WEP may be all a home or small-business user needs to protect wireless data. WEP is available in 40-bit (also called 64-bit), or in 108-bit (also called 128-bit) encryption modes. As 108-bit encryption provides a longer algorithm that takes longer to decode, it can provide better security than basic 40-bit (64-bit) encryption.

WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access: a Wi-Fi security standard that works with existing Wi-Fi products enabled with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). It uses data encryption through the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP scrambles the keys and ensures that the keys haven't been tampered with. User authentication is performed through the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network.

Wi-Fi - Wireless Fidelity: a term developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance that is commonly used to describe any type of 802.11 standard wireless network. Products tested and approved as "Wi-Fi Certified" (a registered trademark) by the Wi-Fi Alliance are certified as interoperable with each other, even if they are from different manufacturers.