Wireless and mobile

Terms related to wireless and mobile technology, including definitions about consumer mobile technology devices and communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and LTE.

piggybacking - Piggybacking, in the context of Wi-Fi, is the use of a wireless connection to gain access to the internet without proper authority.
predictive text - Predictive text is an input technology that facilitates typing on a device by suggesting words the user may wish to insert in a text field.
private 5G - Private 5G is a wireless network technology that delivers 5G cellular connectivity for private network use cases.
Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) - Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) is a security protocol commonly used to protect wireless networks.
push notification - Push notification, also called server push notification, is the delivery of information from a software application to a computing device without a specific request from the client.
Push to Talk (PTT) - Push to talk (PTT), is a means of instantaneous communication commonly employed in wireless cellular phone services that uses a button to switch a device from voice transmission mode to voice reception mode.
QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) - QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) is a method of combining two amplitude modulation (AM) signals into a single channel.
QR code (quick response code) - A QR code (quick response code) is a type of 2D bar code that provides easy access to information through a smartphone camera.
radiant energy - Radiant energy is, simply, energy that radiates from a source of electromagnetic radiation, such as the light and heat radiating from the sun.
radio access network (RAN) - A radio access network (RAN) is a major component of a wireless telecommunications system that connects individual devices to other parts of a network through a radio link.
radio frequency (RF, rf) - Radio frequency (RF) is a measurement representing the oscillation rate of electromagnetic radiation spectrum, or electromagnetic radio waves, from frequencies ranging from 300 GHz to as low as 9 kHz.
React Native - React Native is an open source JavaScript framework for mobile application development.
real-time location system (RTLS) - A real-time location system (RTLS) is one of a number of technologies used to pinpoint the current geographic position and location of a target.
remote desktop - A remote desktop is a program or an operating system feature that allows a user to connect to a computer in another location, see that computer's desktop and interact with it as if it were local.
remote wipe - Remote wipe is a security feature that allows a network administrator or device owner to send a command that remotely deletes data from a computing device.
resonance charging - Resonance charging is a wireless charging method for items that require large amounts of power, such as an electric car, robot, vacuum cleaner or laptop computer.
RF wireless charging (RF energy harvesting) - RF wireless charging is a type of uncoupled wireless charging in which an antenna embedded in an electronic device can pick up low level radio frequency waves from external sources and convert the waves’ energy to direct current (DC) voltage.
rich communication services (RCS) - Rich communications services (RCS) is a communication technology protocol that provides enhanced, or "rich," capabilities for messaging, voice, video and file transfer.
Salesforce AppExchange - Salesforce AppExchange is Salesforce.
Samsung Galaxy - Samsung Galaxy is a product line of Android smartphones, tablets and internet of things devices manufactured by Samsung Electronics.
satellite - A satellite is any object that orbits something else, as, for example, the Earth orbits the sun.
scalable video coding (SVC) - Scalable video coding (SVC) is an extension of the H.
sensor data - Sensor data is the output of a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment.
service set identifier (SSID) - A service set identifier (SSID) is a sequence of characters that uniquely names a Wi-Fi network.
Shared Key Authentication (SKA) - Shared Key Authentication (SKA) is a process by which a computer can gain access to a wireless network that uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.
Short Message Service (SMS) - SMS (Short Message Service), commonly referred to as 'text messaging,' is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224 character limit if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices, including cellular phones, smartphones and tablets.
short message service center (SMSC) - The short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a mobile phone network that handles text message operations.
sideloading - Sideloading is the installation of an application on a mobile device without using the device's official application distribution method.
Signaling System 7 (SS7) - Signaling System 7 (SS7) is an international telecommunication protocol standard that defines how the network elements in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) exchange information and control signals.
SIM card - A SIM card, also known as a subscriber identity module, is a smart card that stores identification information that pinpoints a smartphone to a specific mobile network.
SIM swap attack (SIM intercept attack) - A SIM Swap Attack, also known as a SIM Intercept Attack, is a form of identity theft in which an attacker convinces a cell phone carrier into switching a victim’s phone number to a new device in order to gain access to bank accounts, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information.
single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) - Single-user multiple input, multiple output (SU-MIMO) is a multitransmitter and receiver technology that lets a wireless access point send multiple, simultaneous data streams to one compatible endpoint at a time.
SIP trunking (Session Initiation Protocol trunking) - Session Initiation Protocol trunking is a service offered by a communications service provider that uses the protocol to provision voice over IP connectivity between an on-premises phone system and the public switched telephone network.
Siri - Siri is Apple's virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) - SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) is the concept that the convergence of four technologies is currently driving business innovation.
small cell - A small cell is an umbrella term used to describe a miniature radio access point or wireless network base station with a low radio frequency power output, footprint and range.
smart home app (home automation app) - A smart home app, sometimes referred to as a home automation app or a smart home automation app, is an application used to remotely control and manage connected non-computing devices in the home, typically from a smartphone or tablet.
smartphone - A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with telephones, such as an operating system (OS), web browsing and the ability to run software applications.
smartwatch - A smartwatch is a wearable computing device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other time-keeping device.
smishing (SMS phishing) - Smishing -- or Short Message Service (SMS) phishing -- is a social engineering tactic cybercriminals use to trick people into divulging sensitive information over text messages.
SMS gateway - An SMS gateway is a website that allows users to send SMS messages from a web browser to people within the cell served by that gateway.
SMS spam (cell phone spam or short messaging service spam) - SMS spam (sometimes called cell phone spam) is any junk message delivered to a mobile phone as text messaging through the Short Message Service (SMS).
soft reset - A soft reset is a restart of a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer (PC).
spectrum analyzer - A spectrum analyzer is a device that measures and displays signal amplitude (strength) as it varies by frequency within its frequency range (spectrum).
spectrum efficiency - Spectrum efficiency describes the amount of data transmitted over a given spectrum or bandwidth with minimum transmission errors.
SS7 attack - An SS7 attack is a security exploit that takes advantage of a weakness in the design of SS7 (Signaling System 7) to enable data theft, eavesdropping, text interception and location tracking.
star network - A star network is a local area network (LAN) topology in which all nodes -- personal computers (PCs), workstations or other devices -- are directly connected to a common central computer that is often referred to as a hub.
subcarrier - A subcarrier is a secondary modulated signal frequency modulated into the main frequency (the carrier) to provide an additional channel of transmission.
tablet (tablet PC) - A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touchscreen interface.
telecommunications (telecom) - Telecommunications, also known as telecom, is the exchange of information over significant distances by electronic means and refers to all types of voice, data and video transmission.
telepresence robot - A telepresence robot is a remote-controlled, wheeled device that has wireless internet connectivity.
text messaging (texting or wireless messaging) - Text messaging is the act of sending short, alphanumeric communications between cellphones, pagers or other hand-held devices, as implemented by a wireless carrier.
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) - Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is a digital modulation technique used in digital cellular telephone and mobile radio communication.
Top searches of 2008 - What were people searching the WhatIs.
touch screen - A touch screen is an electronic display screen that is also an input device.
transceiver - A transceiver is a combination transmitter/receiver in a single package.
transponder - A transponder is a wireless communication, monitoring or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal.
tweet - A tweet is a post on Twitter.
Uber - Uber is a transportation company with an app that allows passengers to hail a ride and drivers to charge fares and get paid.
UberFLEET - UberFLEET is a smartphone application that allows partners with Uber, a popular rideshare application, to oversee their fleet drivers.
ultra wideband - Ultra wideband (also known as UWB or as digital pulse wireless) is a wireless technology for transmitting large amounts of digital data over a wide spectrum of frequency bands with very low power for a short distance.
unique device identifier (UDID) - A unique device identifier (UDID) is a 24-character string assigned to Apple devices.
unlocked cell phone - An unlocked cell phone is a cellular telephone that can be used with more than one service provider, allowing a user the flexibility to switch between different networks.
USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) - USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) is a GSM (Global System for Mobile) communications protocol that is used to send text messages.
Venmo - Venmo is a smartphone app that designed to transfer payments from one user to another through connected bank accounts.
VMware AirWatch - VMware AirWatch is an enterprise mobility software provider based in Atlanta.
voice over LTE (VoLTE) - Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is a digital packet technology that uses 4G LTE networks to route voice traffic and transmit data.
VoIP phone - A VoIP phone is a hardware- or software-based telephone designed to use voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to send and receive phone calls over an IP network.
VPN (virtual private network) - A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that creates a safe, encrypted online connection.
WAN (wide area network) - A wide area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs).
war driving (access point mapping) - War driving, also called access point mapping, is the act of locating and possibly exploiting connections to wireless local area networks (WLANs) while driving around a city or elsewhere.
Web texting - Web texting is two-way text messaging from the Web to a handheld mobile device, usually a cellular phone.
What is 6G? Overview of 6G networks & technology - 6G (sixth-generation wireless) is the successor to 5G cellular technology.
What is unified endpoint management (UEM)? A complete guide - Unified endpoint management (UEM) is an approach to securing and controlling desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets in a connected, cohesive manner from a single console.
What is wireless communications? Everything you need to know - Wireless communications is the transmission of voice and data without cable or wires.
WhatsApp - WhatsApp is a free cross-platform messaging service.
Wi-Fi (802.11x standard) - Wi-Fi is a term for certain types of wireless local area networks (WLAN) that use specifications in the IEEE 802.
Wi-Fi 6 - Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.
Wi-Fi 6E - Wi-Fi 6E is one variant of the 802.
Wi-Fi 7 - Wi-Fi 7 is the pending 802.
Wi-Fi calling - Wi-Fi calling is a voice service that lets users place and receive calls over a wireless internet connection, as opposed to using a cellular signal.
Wi-Fi Pineapple - A Wi-Fi Pineapple is a wireless auditing platform from Hak5 that allows network security administrators to conduct penetration tests.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) - Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a security standard for computing devices equipped with wireless internet connections.
Wi-Fi range extender (range expander) - A Wi-Fi range extender is a network device used to increase the effective range of a wireless network.
Wien's constant - Wien's constant is a physical constant that is used in defining the relationship between the thermodynamic temperature of a black body (an object that radiates electromagnetic energy perfectly) and the wavelength at which the intensity of the radiation is the greatest.
Windows CE - Windows CE is a version of Microsoft's Windows operating system (OS) that is designed for mobile and other space-constrained devices with small footprints.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) - Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol, specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard, 802.
wireless access point - A wireless access point (wireless AP) is a network device that transmits and receives data over a wireless local area network (WLAN), serving as the interconnection point between the WLAN and a fixed wire network.
wireless ad hoc network (WANET) - A wireless ad hoc network (WANET) is a type of local area network (LAN) that is built spontaneously to enable two or more wireless devices to be connected to each other without requiring typical network infrastructure equipment, such as a wireless router or access point.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) - Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a specification for a set of communication protocols to standardize the way wireless devices, such as mobile phones and radio transceivers, can be used for internet access, including email, the web, newsgroups and instant messaging.
wireless backhaul - Wireless backhaul is the use of wireless communication systems to transport data between the internet and subnetworks.
wireless broadband (WiBB) - Wireless broadband (WiBB) is high-speed internet and data service delivered through a wireless local area network (WLAN) or wireless wide area network (WWAN).
wireless charging - Wireless charging is any of several methods of charging batteries without the use of cables.
wireless distribution system (WDS) - A wireless distribution system (WDS) is a method of interconnecting access points (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN) without requiring that they connect through a wired backbone.
wireless ISP (wireless Internet service provider or WISP) - A wireless internet service provider (WISP) is an internet service provider (ISP) that allows subscribers to connect to the internet at designated hot spots or access points using a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi.
wireless mesh network (WMN) - A wireless mesh network (WMN) is a mesh network created through the connection of wireless access point (WAP) nodes installed at each network user's locale.
Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) - Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) is a security level for the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), specifically for the applications that use WAP.
WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI) - WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI) is a wireless local area network security standard officially supported by the Chinese government.
Z-Wave - Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol used primarily in smart home networks, allowing smart devices to connect and exchange control commands and data with each other.