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.

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single-user MIMO - Single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) is a multi-transmitter 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 personal assistant for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS devices that uses voice recognition and is powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
SISO (single input, single output) - SISO (single input, single output) refers to a wireless communications system in which one antenna is used at the source (transmitter) and one antenna is used at the destination (receiver).
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.
Small Office Home Office (SOHO) - In information technology, SOHO is a term for the small office or home office environment and business culture.
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.
smart lock - A smart lock is an electronic and mechanical locking device that opens wirelessly with an authorized users’ authentication.
smart speaker - A smart speaker is a wireless and smart audio playback device that uses several types of connectivity for additional functions.
smartphone - A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with telephones, such as an operating system, web browsing and the ability to run software applications.
smartphone sensor - A smartphone sensor is any one of a number of different types of sensing devices installed on a user's phone to gather data for various user purposes, often in conjunction with a mobile app.
smartwatch - A smartwatch is a wearable computing device that closely resembles a wristwatch or other time-keeping device.
SMiShing (SMS phishing) - SMiShing is a mobile phone security attack in which the user is tricked into downloading a Trojan horse, virus or other malware onto his phone.
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).
sniff subrating - Sniff subrating is a Bluetooth feature designed to increase battery life as much as 500 percent for devices whose typical usage involves a significant amount of inactive time.
soft reset - A soft reset is a restart of a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer (PC).
solar-powered laptop - A solar-powered laptop is a notebook computer that uses built-in photo voltaic solar panels to run and recharge its battery.
SoLoMo (social, local and mobile) - SoLoMo (social, local and mobile) is a term representing the convergence of collaborative, location-based and on-the-go technologies, primarily used for marketing and discovery purposes.
SoMoClo (social, mobile and cloud) - SoMoClo (social, mobile and cloud) is the convergence of collaborative, on-the-go technologies that allow users to access data and applications from anywhere at any time.
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.
Splashtop - Splashtop is a vendor that sells remote connection software which lets users access their PCs or Macs from other computing devices.
spray-on antenna - A spray-on antenna is a conductive material that can be sprayed onto nearly any surface to create a thin, lightweight and flexible antenna.
spread spectrum - Spread spectrum is a form of wireless communications in which the frequency of the transmitted signal is deliberately varied.
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.
Sugar - Sugar is a graphical user interface GUI developed for the $100 laptop (XO).
Surface (Microsoft Surface tablet) - Surface is a line of tablet computers from Microsoft.
T1 (T-1) - Also see the T-carrier system, of which the T1 is a part.
talk time - In customer relationship management (CRM), talk time is the amount of time a call center agent spends with a caller during a transaction.
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.
telestroke (telestroke services) - Telestroke is a web-based approach to treating stroke victims who have not been admitted to a hospital.
tethering - Tethering is the practice of using a mobile device (such as a cell phone) as a modem to connect another device (such as a laptop) to the Internet.
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.
thing (in the Internet of Things) - A thing, in the context of the Internet of things (IoT), is an entity or physical object that has a unique identifier, an embedded system and the ability to transfer data over a network.
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) - Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is a digital modulation technique used in digital cellular telephone and mobile radio communication.
TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) - TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is an encryption protocol included as part of the IEEE 802.
Top searches of 2008 - What were people searching the WhatIs.
touch screen - A touch screen is a computer 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 communications, monitoring, or control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal.
traveling-wave tube (TWT) - A traveling-wave tube (TWT) is a specialized vacuum tube used in wireless communications, especially in satellite systems.
tropospheric propogation - Radio waves can propagate over the horizon when the lower atmosphere of the earth bends, scatters, and/or reflects the electromagnetic fields.
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.
ubiquitous networking - Ubiquitous networking is the pervasion of communications infrastructure and wireless technologies throughout the environment such that they enable continuous connectivity.
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.
ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC or Ultra-mobile PC) - Ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) is a design specification for a hand-held computer that is larger than a PDA but smaller than a laptop.
ultrabook - An ultrabook is a category of thin and light laptop computers designed to bridge the market gap between tablets and premium notebook PCs.
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) - UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) is a third-generation (3G) broadband, packet-based transmission of text, digitized voice, video, and multimedia at data rates up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps).
unified endpoint management (UEM) - 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.
unique device identifier (UDID) - A unique device identifier (UDID) is a 40-character string assigned to certain Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) - UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) is a so-called "third-generation (3G)," broadband, packet -based transmission of text, digitized voice, video, and multimedia at data rates up to and possibly higher than 2 megabits per second (Mbps), offering a consistent set of services to mobile computer and phone users no matter where they are located in the world.
URL shortening - URL shortening is the translation of a long Uniform Resource Locator (URL) into an abbreviated alternative that redirects to the longer URL.
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.
vehicle to infrastructure (V2I or v2i) - Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I or V2X) is a communication model that allows vehicles to share information with the components that support a country's highway system.
vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication) - Vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication) is the wireless transmission of data between motor vehicles.
Venmo - Venmo is a smartphone app that designed to transfer payments from one user to another through connected bank accounts.
video telephony - Video telephony is full-duplex, real-time audio-visual communication between or among end users.
Vine (Vine app) - Vine is a free mobile application that enables users to record and share an unlimited number of short, looping video clips with a maximum length of six seconds.
visible light communication (VLC) - Visible light communication (VLC) is the use of visible light as a method of wirelessly transmitting data.
VMware AirWatch - VMware AirWatch is an enterprise mobility software provider based in Atlanta.
VMware Horizon Workspace - VMware Horizon Workspace is enterprise mobility management software that creates a central repository where users can access corporate data, applications and virtual desktops from a variety of endpoint devices.
VMware Project AppShift - VMware Project AppShift is technology designed to improve the experience of using virtualized Windows and its applications on non-Windows tablets.
voice activation detection (VAD) - In Voice over IP (VOiP), voice activation detection (VAD) is a software application that allows a data network carrying voice traffic over the Internet to detect the absence of audio and conserve bandwidth by preventing the transmission of "silent packets" over the network.
voice control (voice assistance) - Voice control, also called voice assistance, is a user interface that allows hands-free operation of a digital device.
voice morphing - Voice morphing is the software-generated alteration of a person's natural voice.
voice search - Voice search is a speech recognition technology that allows users to search by saying terms aloud rather than typing them into a search field.
voice-to-text - Voice-to-text is a type of speech recognition program that converts spoken to written language.
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.
VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) - VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) is a satellite communications system that serves home and business users.
WAN (wide area network) - A wide area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed 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 while driving around a city or elsewhere.
warchalking (war chalking) - Warchalking is a grass roots effort to create a standard iconography for public Wi-Fi access.
WAX (Wireless Abstract XML) - Wireless Abstract XML (WAX) is an abstract markup language and associated tools that facilitate wireless application development.
Web slate - A Web slate is a wireless Internet appliance that consists of a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch screen that allows the user to view and interact with Web pages.
Web texting - Web texting is two-way text messaging from the Web to a handheld mobile device, usually a cellular phone.
What is 5G? - Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the latest iteration of cellular technology.
What is 6G? Overview of 6G networks & technology - 6G (sixth-generation wireless) is the successor to 5G cellular technology.
WhatsApp - WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform instant messaging application that allows iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia smartphone users to exchange text, image, video and audio messages for free.
white space - White space, in a communications context, refers to underutilized portions of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum vacated in the absence of analog broadcast television.
White Space Wi-Fi (White-Fi) - White space Wi-Fi, also known as White-Fi, specified in IEEE 802.
Wi-Fi (802.11x standard) - Wi-Fi is the popular term for high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and a standard that has gained acceptance in many companies as an alternative to a wired LAN.
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) - Wi-Fi 6 is a standard for wireless internet that replaces the 802.
Wi-Fi Alliance - The Wi-Fi Alliance is a wireless industry organization that exists to promote wireless technologies and interoperability.
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 cell phone (cellular-Internet phone or cell-Internet phone) - A Wi-Fi cell phone (also called a cellular-Internet phone or cell-Internet phone) is a wireless telephone set that can automatically switch between conventional cellular and Wi-Fi VoIP modes, even during the course of a conversation.
Wi-Fi finder (Wi-Fi signal finder, Wi-Fi seeker or Wi-Fi locator) - A Wi-Fi finder, also called a Wi-Fi signal finder, Wi-Fi seeker or Wi-Fi locator, is a miniature electronic device that can determine whether or not a portable computer user is within range of an access point for a wireless local area network (WLAN).
Wi-Fi HaLow (802.11ah) - HaLow is based on the WiFi Alliance 802.
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, sometimes called a range expander, is a type of wireless repeater used to expand the reach of a wireless LAN.
Wi-Fi Sense - Windows Wi-Fi Sense allows Windows 10 users to get Internet access from public hotspots and private wireless local area networks (WLANs) that have been shared by friends.

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