Wire World Of America 1800 - Manual (Page 136)

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Bandwidth. A measure of the width or capacity of a communications channel. Greater bandwidth allows
communication of more information in a given period of time. Bandwidth is generally described either in
terms of analog signals in units of Hertz (Hz), which describes the maximum number of cycles per second,
or in terms of digital signals in units of bits per second (bps).
Bit. The basic unit in data communications, represented as either a one or a zero. When discussing digital
data, a small “b” refers to bits, and a capital “B” refers to bytes.
Bit Rate. The number of bits of data transmitted over a phone line per second.
Broadband. Broadband is the largest size bandwidth category, meaning that there are the most channels of
data moving over a single communication medium, thus information such as data, voice, and video can be
received and sent most quickly.
Byte. A compilation of bits. ASCII code uses seven information bits and one parity bit for error control,
while EBCDIC standards call for eight information bits. Other less common standards call for more or less
bits in a byte.
C
CAP. See Carrierless Amplitude Phase.
Carrier. A signal of a specific frequency which is modulated to transmit information.
Carrierless Amplitude Phase (CAP). A type of quadrature amplitude modulation, used for some types of
DSL, that stores pieces of a modulated message signal in memory and then reassembles the parts in the
modulated wave.
Category 5. Also known as CAT5. A category of cabling that is used for local area networks with voice
and data needs.
Central Processing Unit (CPU). The core of a computer, which uses a stored program to manipulate
information.
Circuit-switched Network. A type of network in which a continuous link is established and reserved
between a source and a receiver. This type of network is used in telephony applications to ensure minimal
delay and to reserve an appropriate level of transmission capacity for the call. Most phone conversation
takes place on a circuit-switched network.
Compression. The process of reducing the representation of information. This is often needed in order to
transmit a specific audio, video, or data file without using a large amount of transmission time or capacity.
CPE. See Customer Premises Equipment.
CPU. See Central Processing Unit.
Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Any piece of equipment in a communication system that resides
on the customer's premises. Examples include modems, television set-top boxes, telephones and
televisions.