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Glossary

Network, fiber, IoT and regulatory terms

Short explanations of common terms such as GPON, RADIUS, LoRaWAN and PAdES.

Network & ISP

BGPBorder Gateway ProtocolBGP is the routing protocol that holds the internet together, exchanging reachability for IP prefixes between autonomous systems (AS).BNG / vBNGBroadband Network Gateway / virtual Broadband Network GatewayA BNG is the ISP gateway that terminates broadband subscriber sessions, assigns IP addresses and enforces speed, quota and policy rules.CGNATCarrier-Grade Network Address TranslationCGNAT is operator-scale address translation that lets many subscribers share a single public IPv4 address, separated by port ranges.MikroTik RouterOSRouterOS is MikroTik's network operating system, providing routing, firewall, VPN, hotspot and wireless functions on its hardware and on VMs.PPPoEPoint-to-Point Protocol over EthernetPPPoE is a broadband access protocol that carries PPP sessions over Ethernet so subscribers can authenticate with a username and password.RADIUSRemote Authentication Dial-In User ServiceRADIUS is a client–server protocol that centrally handles authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) for users joining a network.TR-069 (CWMP)Technical Report 069 – CPE WAN Management ProtocolTR-069 is a remote management protocol that lets ISPs configure, update and monitor subscriber modems, ONTs and routers from a central server.VLANVirtual Local Area NetworkA VLAN is a logical network carved out of shared switching hardware with IEEE 802.1Q tags, isolating traffic as if it ran on separate LANs.WireGuardWireGuard is an open-source VPN protocol that runs over UDP and builds tunnels with modern cryptography and a very small codebase.

Fiber & PON

GPONGigabit-capable Passive Optical NetworkGPON is the ITU-T G.984 fiber access technology that shares one fiber among many subscribers via passive splitters, with 2.5 Gbit/s downstream.OLTOptical Line TerminalAn OLT is the central-office end of a passive optical network: it manages connected ONUs and hands subscriber traffic to the operator's core.ONU / ONTOptical Network Unit / Optical Network TerminalAn ONU/ONT is the customer-side device of a PON that converts the optical signal on the fiber into Ethernet, Wi-Fi or telephone services.Optical Power BudgetAn optical power budget is the calculation of the total loss a fiber link can tolerate while still delivering enough light to the receiver.PLC SplitterPlanar Lightwave Circuit splitterA PLC splitter is an unpowered passive fiber component that divides an optical signal equally into many outputs using waveguides on a silica chip.SFP ModuleSmall Form-factor PluggableAn SFP module is a hot-pluggable, small form-factor transceiver that plugs into switch, router or OLT ports to provide a fiber or copper link.Splice ClosureA splice closure is a sealed outdoor enclosure that protects fiber fusion splices and splitters from moisture, dust and mechanical stress.XGS-PON10-Gigabit-capable Symmetric Passive Optical NetworkXGS-PON is the ITU-T G.9807.1 PON standard delivering about 10 Gbit/s symmetrical capacity while sharing the same fiber plant as GPON.

Wireless

Captive Portal (Hotspot)A captive portal sends users who join a guest Wi-Fi network to a landing page for login or consent before granting internet access.Fresnel ZoneThe Fresnel zone is the ellipsoid around the straight line between two antennas that must stay largely clear for a radio link to perform well.Line of Sight (LOS)Line of SightLine of sight (LOS) means an unobstructed direct path exists between two antennas. It is the basic requirement for high-frequency wireless links.PTMP (Point-to-Multipoint Wireless)Point-to-MultipointPTMP is a point-to-multipoint wireless architecture in which one base station with a sector or omni antenna serves many subscriber radios.PTP (Point-to-Point Wireless Link)Point-to-PointA PTP link is a point-to-point radio connection between two fixed sites that uses directional antennas to carry data between buildings or sites.RSSIReceived Signal Strength IndicatorRSSI is a measurement of the power of the radio signal a wireless receiver picks up, usually expressed in dBm.Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) are recent wireless LAN generations built for higher speed, capacity and lower latency.

Security & logging

SIEMSecurity Information and Event ManagementSIEM is a security information and event management system that collects and correlates logs from many sources to detect threats in real time.SyslogSyslog is the standard protocol that network devices, servers and applications use to send event messages to a central log server.Trusted Timestamp (RFC 3161)A trusted timestamp is a record signed by a trusted authority proving that electronic data existed at a given moment and has not changed since.

Software

Omnichannel CommunicationOmnichannel communication brings channels such as WhatsApp, web chat, social media, SMS and email into one shared inbox and a single customer profile.QR CodeQuick Response codeA QR code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode (ISO/IEC 18004) that stores data in square modules and can be read quickly by a phone camera.

IoT

LoRaWANLong Range Wide Area NetworkLoRaWAN is an LPWAN protocol that lets battery-powered sensors send small amounts of data to gateways kilometres away using very little energy.Modbus (RTU / TCP)Modbus is a simple, widely used industrial protocol for reading and writing data on devices such as PLCs, energy meters, sensors and drives.MQTTMessage Queuing Telemetry Transport (historical name)MQTT is a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol in which IoT devices exchange messages by topic through a central broker.NB-IoTNarrowband Internet of ThingsNB-IoT is a 3GPP cellular IoT technology running in operators' licensed spectrum, offering deep coverage and long battery life for low-data devices.

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