0-9
1G: The first generation of analogue mobile phone technologies including AMPS, TACS and NMT
2D: Two dimensional
2G: Second generation of wireless communications systems
3D: Three dimensional
3G: Third generation of wireless communications systems
4G: 4G is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications technology. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television.
5G: 5th generation wireless systems. In addition to providing simply faster speeds, they predict that 5G networks (rollout in 2020) also will need to meet new use cases, such as the Internet of Things (network equipment in buildings or vehicles for web access) as well as broadcast-like services and lifeline communication in times of natural disaster.
802.11: The IEEE committee and the set of standards maintained by the IEEE for wireless networking.
A
A/D: Analog-to-digital
AC: Alternating current
ACAD: AutoCAD
Access Points: Networking hardware device that allows a Wi-Fi compliant device to connect to a wired network
ACPR: Adjacent - channel power ratio
ADC: Analog-to-digital converter
AMPS: Advanced mobile phone system
Annotations: Collection of notes about site details including text, photo, video or audio
AP: Access points
As-built: Descriptive representation of how an installation was built
ASP: Application service provider
ATM: Asynchronous transfer mode
AutoCAD: 3D design software mostly used for engineering and architecture
B
BER: Bit error rate
BPSK: Binary phase shift keying
BSC: Base Station Controller; the network entity controlling a number of Base Transceiver Stations
BSS: Base Station System / Subsystem
BTS: Base Transceiver Station; the network entity which communicates with the mobile station
BOM, Bill of materials: Document outlining all the equipment necessary to install and deploy a wireless network
Building modelling (3D): Building modeling in standard CAD software such as AutoCAD, and/or with iBwave 3D Modeler
C
C/(N+I): Carrier-to-Noise plus Interference
C/I: Carrier-to-Interference ratio
CAD: Computer Aided Design
Cable routing: Refers to the path of installed network cables inside a building, tunnel or venue
Capacity planning: The science and of estimating the throughput needed for a particular wireless network
Carrier Grade Wi-Fi: A Wi-Fi network deployed by a network operator with high emphasis on quality and accessibility
CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access
Cellular: Communication network where the last link is wireless
CENELEC: European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Certification: The process of being certified by qualified instructors through a series of courses and exams
Component database: iBwave's continuously growing database of network antennas and components for indoor wireless network design
COST 231: Collaboration in Science and Technology, project 231
CP: Circularly polarized
CPICH: Common Pilot Channel
CW: Continuous wave
D
DAS: Distributed Antenna System
dB: Decibel
dBd: Decibel referenced to dipole antenna
dBi: Decibel referenced to isotropic antenna
dBm: Decibel power relative to 1 milliwatt
dBW: Decibel power relative to 1 watt
Dominance over macro: The signal difference in dB between the indoor wireless network and the outdoor macro network
DPM: Dominant Path Model
E
Ecosystem: Refers to the community of integrators, manufacturers and vendors responsible to install, delpoy and maintain a wireless network
EIRP: Effective Isotropic Radiated Power
EM: Electromagnetic
EMC: Electromagnetic compatibility
F
FNBW: First-null beamwidth
FSL: Free Space Loss
G
GHz: Gigahertz
GPRS: Global Packet Radio Service
GPS: Global Positioning System
GSM: Global System for Mobile
H
H&S: Health and Safety
Heat maps: A graphical representation of data where values are represented in colors to illustrate various network KPIs of a given wireless signal
Hetnet: A network connecting computers and other devices with different operating systems and/or protocols
HPBW: Half-power beamwidth
I
ICNIRP: International Committee on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection
IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
In-building / indoor network: A wireless network deployed indoors
Indoor RF planning: Planning of an indoor wireless cellular (radio frequencies) network
K
KPI: Key Performance Indicators
L
LAN: Local area network
LHCP: Left-hand circularly polarized
LOS: Line of sight
LTE: Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals
M
MAPL: Maximum acceptable path loss
Macro interference: Interference on the indoor wireless network from the surrounding outdoor wireless networks
MCP: Measurement Campaign Plan
MHz: Megahertz
MIMO: Multiple-input and multiple-output
Multi-operator: Where multiple carriers are sharing the same wireless network
MWM: Multi-wall-model
Multi-technology: Where multiple technologies are being used in a single wireless network
N
NLOS: Non line of sight
Network capacity: The capacity defined by the traffic that can be supported by a network in terms of number of users and type of application used
Network coverage: Geographical area where the station can communicate to the station's intended service area
Network design: Network planning and design is an iterative process aimed at ensuring that a new telecommunications network or service meets the needs of the subscriber and operator
O
OLOS: Obstructed line of sight
Optimization: The process of striking the best possible balance between network performance and network costs, in consideration of grade of service (GoS) requirements
P
PAN: Personal Area Networks
PEL: Plane Earth Loss
Plan annotation: Capturing notes about a site and attaching them to a specific point on the floor plan. Notes include: text, photo, video or audio
Prediction maps: Same as heat map. A graphical representation of data where values are represented in colors to illustrate various network KPIs of a given wireless signal
Propagation: The simulation of how a wireless network will perform once it is deployed
Public Safety Network: A public safety network is an inter-organizational network system to share information and communicate when faced with public safety incidents
Q
QoS: Quality of Service
R
RF: Radio Frequency
RF collection: The collection of signal strength readings from an RF collection tool
RF engineer: An engineer who specializes in radio frequencies, often associated with wireless networks
Reporting: Reports created from iBwave software to show various information related to the design and deployment of a wireless network project
RHCP: Right-hand circularly polarized
ROI: Return on Investment
RX: Receive
S
SAR: Specific absorption rates
SC: Small Cells
SINR: Signal to interference plus noise ratio
Site survey: Inspection and gathering of information of an area where a proposed wireless network is to be deployed
Small Cells: Small cells are low-powered radio access nodes that operate in licensed and unlicensed spectrum that have a range of 10 meters to 1 or 2 kilometers
Survey data: The data gathered from a site survey, can include RF measurements and annotations such as text notes, photos, videos, and audio notes
T
TDD: Time division duplexing
TDM: Time division multiplexing
TDMA: Time division multiple access
Throughput: Rate of successful data transfer over a communication channel
TV: Television
TX: Transmit out
U
UHF: Ultra high frequency
UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
UWB: Ultra Wide Band
V
VHF: Very high frequency
VSWR: Voltage Standing Wave Ratio
W
Walk test: Method of measuring, while walking, the coverage, capacity and Quality of Service (QoS) of a mobile radio network
WCDMA: Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
Wi-Fi: Wireless Fidelity
WLAN: Wireless local area network
X
XPD: Cross-polar discrimination