Before you get frustrated wondering why you might need a POE to power your CPE to get remote 802.11g when you’d really rather have more dB on your LTE – check our glossary below.

You'll also find these terms underlined through-out our guides & articles - just hover/click the word, and the definition will appear.

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• 5

• 5G
  5G is the fifth generation cellular technology that began to roll out in late 2018, the is the successor to 4G LTE. 5G will take advantage of many chunks of spectrum ranging from long range UHF frequencies up through short range extremely high millimeter wave frequencies. When broadcast(...) - Read More

• 8

• 802.11
  The IEEE 802.11 set of technical standard is the formal name for the wireless technology commonly referred to as Wi-Fi. The 802.11 standard comes in an alphabet soup of flavors. Going into the future, 802.11 will be more commonly referred to as simply 'Wi-Fi' and then a generation number(...) - Read More

• a

• AirCard
  The brand name for cellular mobile hotspot devices from Netgear (formerly Sierra Wireless). They are often incorrectly referred to as Jetpacks or MifFs, which are actually trademarked branded words from Verizon and Inseego. - Read More
• Amplifier
  Pumps up the volume of a wireless signal. The amplifier is the electronic part of a cellular booster kit that is providing the power. - Read More
• AMPS
  Stands for Advanced Mobile Phone System, the original 1G analog cellular network widely deployed in the 1980s and 1990s. The AMPS network was phased out in the USA in 2008. - Read More
• Analog
  Analog radio signals are made up of waves that have not been digitized – meaning that anyone with a compatible tuner can listen in. Analog radio is easy to eavesdrop upon, is a very inefficient use of spectrum, and it suffers from static and other interference – especially as distance(...) - Read More
• Android
  Google’s smartphone operating system. - Read More
• Antenna
  An antenna takes electrical input and broadcasts it out as radio waves, or receives radio waves and provides an electrical signal to a device to utilize that signal. An antenna needs to be designed and carefully tuned for the frequencies that it needs to support, and they come in a variety(...) - Read More
• AOL
  Usually refers to 'Assumption of Liability' - the process by some cellular carriers to take over liability of an account. May also be referred to as transfer of service. Can also refer to 'America Online' - an online content service proceeding the internet as we know it today. - Read More
• APN
  The APN (Access Point Name) acts as a gateway between your cellular device and the carrier's data network.  Every cellular device needs an APN and that APN must be one compatible with the cellular carrier, device, and SIM that you're using. - Read More
• Attenuation
  Attenuation is the measurement of signal loss over a distance in a wire or through the air, usually reported as dB/cm or dB/ft. This measurement is important for antenna cables – “low- loss” cables have much less attenuation over a given distance. - Read More

• b

• Band
  The radio spectrum is divided up into bands based upon the signal frequency. Standardized batches of LTE frequencies are also known as LTE bands, and each carrier utilizes different ones. When shopping for gear, it's important to select gear that supports at least the core bands your(...) - Read More
• Bandwidth
  Bandwidth is the size of a wireless frequency channel. Think of it like how many lanes there are on a highway, or the size of a water hose. The larger the bandwidth allotted to a channel, the more information that channel can carry. The available bandwidth is what limits capacity on a(...) - Read More
• Bandwidth Cap
  Also know as a data cap, this is an imposed limit on the amount of data that can be used over a certain period of time. It may also be specific to a feature, such as mobile hotspot use or roaming. Once you exceed that cap, speeds are generally reduced - or on some tiered data plans, data is(...) - Read More
• Bars
  On mobile devices, bars are a visual representation of signal strength. Each device calculates them differently. The number of bars a device is displaying doesn't always have a direct correlation to how fast an internet connection will be - there are far too many variables. So we suggest(...) - Read More
• Bird-on-a-Wire
  Satellite internet dishes need to be precisely aimed at the satellite providing data service. Rather than require a second dish for television reception, a BOW mounts additional receivers precisely offset on the same dish being used for data to also allow that dish to pick up satellite TV(...) - Read More
• Bluetooth
  Bluetooth is a slow, short range wireless communication technology most commonly used for wireless headsets and speakers. Though Bluetooth uses the same 2.4GHz frequencies as Wi-Fi, it is designed to avoid interference – and usually succeeds. - Read More
• Bonding
  Also called "channel bonding," this is an advanced technique that lets a router combine multiple internet connections together into a virtual single connection for faster performance. So, for example, a router that supports bonding could combine two 4G hotspot connections into a faster, single(...) - Read More
• Booster
  Boosters are amplifiers used to improve wireless signal reception. Most common are cellular boosters to help smartphones and mobile hotspot devices receive an increased signal. However because of a core LTE technology called MIMO, boosters do not always translates to better mobile internet(...) - Read More
• bps
  Stands for bits per second. The smallest unit of computing is a bit – 0 or 1. Network speeds are measured in how many of these bits are capable of being sent per second. It takes 8 bits to make a “byte,” and one byte usually represents a single character of text. - Read More
• Broadband
  In radio communications, broadband refers to a higher bandwidth transmission capable of transporting multiple signals simultaneously. Basically, it means faster than dial-up connection that is always on. Broadband is relative term – and over time what it takes to be considered “broadband”(...) - Read More
• BYOD
  BYOD stands for 'bring your own device', and most often refers to a carrier or vendor's stance on whether or not you must purchase a device through them, or can bring your own. - Read More

• c

• Carrier Aggregation
  Carrier aggregation is a core LTE-A technology that combines multiple channels from different chunks of spectrum to make a higher bandwidth virtual channel that can support faster speeds. Most modern cellular modems have embraced this technology, and support for carrier aggregation is(...) - Read More
• CBRS
  The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is a chunk of 3.5GHz spectrum that the FCC has set aside for future use for 4G/LTE cellular, 5G, and other innovative uses. When used for LTE, CBRS is defined as LTE Band 48. CBRS is pioneering an innovative approach to sharing access to spectrum -(...) - Read More
• CDMA
  Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is the common name for the IS-95 and CDMA2000 standards for 2G and 3G networks originally embraced by Verizon and Sprint in the USA. 4G LTE and 5G have pretty much replaced 2G and 3G technologies that are being phased out. - Read More
• Cellular
  Cellular data uses the same technology that allows smartphones to make calls, receive texts or browse the web. A smartphone, tablet, hotspot device or cellular router can convert cellular signal into Wi-Fi or ethernet to get laptops and other devices online - providing the data plan allows for(...) - Read More
• Channel
  A channel is the combination of the frequency a signal is being broadcast upon and the bandwidth that it occupies. In other words, the frequency is the address of the channel, and the bandwidth is the size of the house. The more bandwidth a given channel takes up, the fewer of them you(...) - Read More
• CPE
  CPE stands for “customer premises equipment” and is the term used for commercial-grade Wi-Fi access points used to provide Wi-Fi in a campground or marina. The equipment combines an antenna and radio into one device to minimize signal loss. Consumers can also use CPE equipment to maximize(...) - Read More

• d

• dB
  The logarithmic decibel scale is used to indicate the amount of gain an amplifier or antenna provides, or the loss introduced over wires. Positive numbers represent amplification, and negative numbers represent loss. On the decibel scale, every 3dB represents a 2x increase, and every −3dB(...) - Read More
• dBm
  The logarithmic decibel scale is used to indicate the amount of gain an amplifier or antenna provides, or the loss introduced over wires. Positive numbers represent amplification, and negative numbers represent loss. On the decibel scale, every 3dB represents a 2x increase, and every −3dB(...) - Read More
• Decibel
  The logarithmic decibel scale is used to indicate the amount of gain an amplifier or antenna provides, or the loss introduced over wires. Positive numbers represent amplification, and negative numbers represent loss. On the decibel scale, every 3dB represents a 2x increase, and every −3dB(...) - Read More
• DHCP
  DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is the magic that happens behind the scenes that allows your computer and other devices to automatically configure to connect to the upstream router. The router uses DHCP to assign each device an IP address and tells it what DNS service to use. If(...) - Read More
• Dial-Up
  Back in the dark ages, people used a telephone modem to dial a phone number of an ISP to connect to the internet. Crazy, huh? - Read More
• Digital
  Digital signals are made up of zeros and ones. All cellular networks today are digital networks. A digital network suffers drop-outs with distance until eventually the signal is lost. - Read More
• DNS
  DNS stands for “Domain Name Service” – This is the service that translates a name like “google.com” into an IP address like “206.181.8.251.” Think of it like the white pages for the internet. - Read More
• Download Speed
  This is a measurement of the speed that data is able to flow to your device from the source. The faster, the better. Speeds over 5Mbps give a good surfing experience, and over 20Mbps will feel awesome. Speeds under 1Mbps can make the modern internet feel slow, and speeds under 500Kbps are(...) - Read More
• DSL
  Stands for “Digital Subscriber Line” – home internet service provided via telephone wires, usually by a local phone company. - Read More

• e

• Ethernet
  Wired networks are commonly called ethernet networks. Ethernet wires look like landline phone wires, though the jacks at the end are wider. In order to use ethernet as part of your RV or boat's networking, you'll need to have a mobile router or device that has ethernet ports. - Read More

• f

• FaceTime
  Apple’s proprietary ultra-simple video phone technology. With FaceTime, you can make a video call to other iPhone and iPad users, as well as to Mac laptops and desktops. - Read More
• Field Test Mode
  Every iPhone has a hidden "Field Test Mode" that can be accessed by dialing a special "*3001#12345#*" phone number from the main dial-pad From within this mode, you can dig up details about your cellular connection that are not normally available, such as your raw signal strength, currently(...) - Read More
• FirstNet
  In 2012 Congress authorized the establishment of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) with a goal to "provide emergency responders with the first nationwide, high-speed, broadband network dedicated to public safety". AT&T won that contract, and began deploying this network over(...) - Read More
• Frequency
  Frequency is defined as the number of times a repeating event happens per second, and is measured in Hertz (or Hz). When it comes to radio waves, lower frequencies travel farther and can more easily pass through walls and obstructions. Higher frequencies are more easily blocked and are(...) - Read More

• g

• Gain
  The gain is the increase in signal provided by an amplifier or an antenna. Gain is logarithmic and reported in dB – a 3dB gain is a doubling in signal power. A 10dB gain is a 10x increase in signal power. - Read More
• Gbps
  Gbps stands for gigabit per second and is also often written as Gb/s. A gigagbit is made up of 1,000 megabits. This is a unit of measure most common for expressing local networking capability, but cellular technology is evolving to express speeds in this range as well. - Read More
• Grandfathered
  When an internet provider retires a plan it is no longer available to new customers. However those who already had the plan are generally grandfathered in - meaning they get to keep their plan, features and pricing for as long as they keep paying the bill.  The carrier does legally have the(...) - Read More
• Ground Plane
  Some antennas designed for automobile use need a ground plane to function properly. The metal roof of a car or truck usually provides this functional. Using these styles of antennas on an RV or boat might require providing a 8" x 8" piece of metal to properly reflect signals into the antenna. - Read More
• GSM
  GSM stands for “Global System for Mobile Communications” and is an international standard for 2G cellular networks. In the USA, AT&T and T-Mobile originally built their networks on the GSM standard. 4G LTE and 5G have pretty much replaced this older technology. - Read More
• gUDP
  gUDP is shorthand for 'Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan', and more specifically refers to Verizon's legacy unlimited data plans. These plans were taken off the market in 2011, but continue to be grandfathered in for existing customers. They are not subject to throttling or network(...) - Read More

• h

• Hotspot
  A hotspot is the common name for a Wi-Fi network's access point. A public hotspot is usually hosted by a campground, marina, cafe or library. A private hotspot might be one you host yourself, or one you've been given special access to such as a driveway host or business you are visiting. A(...) - Read More

• i

• iOS
  The operating system inside Apple’s iPhone and iPad. - Read More
• IP Address
  Every site on the internet has an IP address. Behind the scenes, this numerical address is used to communicate instead of friendly names like rvmobileinternet.com. It's like a phone number for every device and destination on the internet. - Read More
• IPv6
  The "Internet Protocol" (IP) address is like a phone number for every device on the internet. The addressing system in IPv4 was made up of four 8-bit (0-255) numbers, so an IPv4 address looks like something like 192.168.1.1. In the mid-90's work began on IPv6, which expands the address(...) - Read More
• ISP
  Internet Service Provider (ISP) - the company who is providing your internet connection. It might be a cable company, a cellular carrier, satellite provider, WISP or DSL. - Read More

• j

• Jetpack
  Jetpack is trademarked branded name owned by Verizon to refer to their mobile hotspot devices - regardless of the manufacturer of the device. It is often incorrectly used to refer to any mobile hotspot device on any carrier, much like Kleenex is often used to refer to any brand of facial(...) - Read More
• Jitter
  Reported by some speed testing apps, jitter is an indication of how much the connection latency varies moment-to-moment. - Read More

• k

• Kbps
  Stands for kilobit per second and is also often written as kb/s. It is a measure of Internet speeds, and slower connections of less than 1 Mbps tend to be expressed in Kbps instead.  500 Kbps is half the speed of 1 Mbps. - Read More

• l

• LAN
  LAN stands for Local Area Network, as opposed to WAN, which stands for Wide Area Network (ie. the internet). Whether wired or wireless, the network inside your home, RV, office or boat is considered a LAN. It is comprised of your router and devices you have connected to it which might(...) - Read More
• Latency
  This is the time in milliseconds it takes for a request from your computer to reach a server and to return, like the ping of a ship’s sonar. The higher the number, the slower the speed. Latencies under 100ms are good, under 50ms are great, and ping times over 500ms (half a second!) begin to(...) - Read More
• LNB
  Low Noise Block. On a satellite TV or internet system, the LNB is the extremely sensitive reception antenna mounted on a boom at the focal point of the dish. - Read More
• Lock/Unlock
  A 'locked' mobile device is one that has been restricted by software so that it can only be used with a single network or carrier. Mobile phones are used to be heavily subsidized and carriers wanted to discourage people switching networks or shipping phones to other countries. But, even(...) - Read More
• LTE
  The dominant 4G technology is known as LTE, which stands for Long-Term Evolution. - Read More
• LTE-Advanced
  The LTE platform was designed to evolve to support faster and more advanced networks. The design goal for LTE-A is to enable cellular networks to support speeds up to 100Mbps for mobile users, and up to 1Gbps for stationary users. - Read More
• LTE-LAA
  LTE-LAA (aka LTE Band 46) is a technology that lets cellular carriers tap into unused and unlicensed 5GHz Wi-Fi spectrum to offer crazy fast speeds over short ranges. The "LAA" stands for "Licensed Assisted Access" - which means that your primary connection is still over traditional(...) - Read More

• m

• Mbps
  Mbps stands for megabits per second and is also often written as Mb/s (not to be confused with MB/s). It's the common unit of measure for expressing speed of an internet connection. A megabit is made up of 1,000,000 bits, or 125,000 bytes (text characters). - Read More
• Microcell
  A mini cell tower that utilizes an existing broadband Internet service to create local cellular service. These are generally only available in fixed locations (likes homes or offices) and are offered directly by cellular carriers to their customers in fringe signal areas. As this solution(...) - Read More
• MiFi
  “MiFi” is trademarked brand name by Inseego (formerly Novatel) for their line of mobile hotspot devices. The term is often used generically to refer to any mobile hotspot device - much like Kleenex is often used to describe any facial tissue. - Read More
• MIMO
  MIMO stands for Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output – for wireless networks, this means using multiple antennas working together to increase data speeds and signal reception. MIMO technology is central to the latest Wi-Fi and LTE cellular standards - and most devices can take advantage of at(...) - Read More
• Mobile Hotspot
  Mobile hotspot refers to the ability to use cellular data as your internet connection. The term is generally used in two ways: Mobile hotspot device - is a small data only device, usually battery powered, which combines a router with a cellular modem allowing the user to share a cellular(...) - Read More
• Modem
  Modem is short for “modulate/demodulate”. It's a device that can send & receive the signal from your internet service provider and translates it for use on your local area network to access the internet. It is commonly used to reference a cable modem, DSL modem or cellular modem. In mobile(...) - Read More
• MVNO
  Mobile Virtual Network Operator – a company that offers cellular service, but which does not own its own cellular network. MVNOs lease capacity from the major carriers and resell it under their own branding.  Examples include StraightTalk and Consumer Cellular. - Read More

• n

• NAT
  Network Address Translation (NAT) is a method to translate IP addresses between networks. It also allows a single, public IP address to be used by multiple private IP addresses.  This aspect of NAT is essential for creating private networks in home and mobile routers.  It's also becoming a(...) - Read More
• Network
  A system of devices that are joined together, either by wires or wireless, so that they can communicate by exchanging information. A network can also share an internet connection to individual devices. - Read More
• Network Management
  Is when a carrier reserves the right to de-prioritize the traffic of high bandwidth users. They generally have a threshold before this kicks in (22-75GB of usage in a month). And some plans are always subject to it. After that threshold is reached, if you're on a cellular tower that is(...) - Read More

• o

• Operator
  Operator is another label often used to describe cellular companies since they are operating a network on behalf of their customers. The network operator owns or controls the licensed radio spectrum and the network infrastructure necessary to provide service over that spectrum. Contrast(...) - Read More
• OS
  OS stands for operating system. An operating system is the software that supports a computer's (or phone or tablet or etc.) basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals. - Read More
• Oscillation
  If the outside antenna for a cellular booster picks up the signal from the inside antenna instead of the cellular tower, oscillation happens. If the booster is properly designed, it will power down to prevent this - thus limiting the effectiveness of a booster. This is the same phenomena as(...) - Read More

• p

• Packet Loss
  Some speed testing apps report a percentage of “packet loss.” Think of this as letters lost in the mail. Substantial and persistent packet loss on a connection means the connection is unreliable, and web pages may not reliably load. - Read More
• Ping
  How much time elapses before receiving a response to a signal is the ping time. The higher the ping time, the longer it will take for a webpage to start loading. - Read More
• POE
  POE = Power Over Ethernet Some networking equipment is powered over an ethernet network wire instead of via a dedicated power cord and power supply. This makes wiring much simpler since only a single wire needs to be run to the device. To get the power onto the ethernet wire, a POE injector(...) - Read More
• POTS
  POTS is shorthand for Plain Old Telephone Service – the old way of getting online via dialing a modem on a regular wired phone line. Also known as a landline. - Read More

• r

• Refarming
  When cellular carriers shut down older networks, they free up frequency spectrum that they can then reuse to support newer technologies. This process is called refarming the network. The downside of refarming is that devices based upon older technologies will get slower and less coverage,(...) - Read More
• Repeater
  A repeater actually recreates and broadcasts a new clean signal. Cellular repeaters are rare since to rebroadcast (and not just amplify) a signal requires close cooperation with the carrier. But Wi-Fi range extending systems typically are repeaters. This contrasts with a booster which(...) - Read More
• Retired
  When an internet provider no longer offers a plan to new customers, that plan is considered retired. Most often, those who had a plan that is now retired is grandfathered in - meaning they get to keep their plan, features and pricing for as long as they keep paying the bill. Sometimes(...) - Read More
• Roaming
  Roaming is when a cellular carrier has agreements with other networks to utilize their towers, helping the carrier provide connectivity to customers who are just passing through areas the carrier doesn’t directly service. A carrier may have different limits on their plans for domestic(...) - Read More
• Router
  A router acts as the hub of a local network. The WAN (wide area network) connection from the router provides the upstream connection from your local network to the internet. Usually, a router is required to allow multiple devices to share a single internet connection. - Read More
• RSSI
  RSSI stands for Received Signal Strength Indication – an arbitrary mapping of the power received by an antenna (in dBm) to a number. How this number is calculated varies greatly from device to device. This is usually simplified into a visual bars or dots display. Signal strength is not(...) - Read More

• s

• Satellite
  Satellites in orbit above the earth are invaluable for long-distance communication, and some support providing an internet connection. For those really going off grid away from cellular towers and Wi-Fi, satellite internet is a great option. Satellite internet requires two-way communication(...) - Read More
• SIM
  SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. The tiny SIM card is mandated on GSM and LTE networks and identifies you to the network. A SIM card is what holds your cellular plan and number. Swapping your SIM into a new phone or device moves your service and phone number to that new(...) - Read More
• Skype
  A cross-platform audio and video chat platform now owned by Microsoft. - Read More
• Smartphone
  Most cellular phones these days are smartphones - they do more than just make calls. They are actually computers running an operating system that allows you to run apps for checking e-mail, surfing the web, plotting your travels, manage social media, playing games and watching(...) - Read More
• Spectrum
  The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of radiation, ranging from extremely high- frequency gamma rays and X-rays through visible light to infrared to radio waves. The radio spectrum is defined as 300GHz to 3kHz, and it is broken for convenience into bands. - Read More

• t

• telematics
  Telematics is a system that remotely monitors multiple aspects of a vehicle and combines that information with other data, like GPS and cellular data communication, to provide various services. This integration allows detailed monitoring of a vehicle's status, location, speed, and health. (...) - Read More
• Tethering
  Using a USB cable to directly attach the phone/tablet to a computer or router. This allows other devices to share the cellular data connection to get online . Usage of tethering (or mobile hotspot - which is the same concept, but over wireless connections) may have restrictions on some(...) - Read More
• Throttling
  Throttling is intentionally slowing down a cellular data connection to run at a slower speed for specific tasks, or after a certain usage. Unlike network management where you may encounter slower speeds only during times of congestion - throttling always happen regardless of local tower(...) - Read More

• u

• Unlimited
  “Unlimited” is the holy grail of mobile data, but read the fine print and you can find mobile hotspot limits, throttling, video resolution reduction and network management. Unlimited data and unlimited speed are different things to the carriers and they've successfully redefined the term(...) - Read More
• Upload Speed
  Upload speed tells you how fast data is able to get from your device to its destination. For many typical internet tasks upload speeds don’t have a huge impact. Upload speeds however are critical for video chatting and uploading large files like photos, videos or cloud-synced(...) - Read More

• v

• VOIP
  VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and refers to technology and service providers that allow for traditional (not cellular) phone calls to be placed over the internet. VOIP calls can be placed either via specialized applications or by plugging a regular landline phone into a VOIP(...) - Read More
• VoLTE
  VoLTE means Voice over LTE. In a pre-LTE cellular world voice calls were transmitted separately from LTE data. As the carriers are phasing out 3G and moving towards 5G, most all now send voice traffic over LTE bands. So long gone are the days of your data connection dropping when you(...) - Read More
• VPN
  VPN = Virtual Private Network. A VPN encrypts all the data coming to and from your computer, and sends it to a remote server that then connects to the public internet on your behalf. This prevents anyone on your local network from being able to eavesdrop on you. If you are traveling away(...) - Read More

• w

• WAN
  WAN stands for Wide Area Network. aka 'the internet'. In networking terms, it simply means the source of your internet connection which could be cellular, cable, another Wi-Fi network or satellite. The WAN connection can come into a router via wireless, USB or hard-wired ethernet. Many(...) - Read More
• Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi is a short-range local wireless networking technology use to connect devices together. While the technology is often used to also deliver an internet connection, the word itself does not necessarily mean internet access. Wi-Fi also has multiple meanings and contexts when we're talking(...) - Read More
• Wi-Fi as WAN
  WAN means Wide Area Network - otherwise known as 'the internet'. In networking terms, it's what the internet source is for a router. Some routers support using another Wi-Fi network as their internet data connection, and this is called WiFi-as-WAN. With WiFi- as-WAN, you can use your(...) - Read More
• Wi-Fi Calling
  Most phones support making and receiving voice calls over a Wi-Fi connection as well as over a cellular connection. This is a handy feature when your smartphone itself doesn't have a solid signal or you're traveling internationally without roaming - but you have other sources of internet(...) - Read More
• WISP
  The term WISP (wireless internet service provider) has typically been attached to ISPs that deliver service to fixed locations via long-range wireless signals, often in rural areas where cable and DSL are not practical options. A WISP providing service may have a transmitter on a nearby(...) - Read More
• WPA3
  WPA3 is the first major security standards update for Wi-FI networks in over a decade - and in particular it includes some important improvements for security on open public networks. WPA3 will eventually be as prevalent as WPA2 is today. But it  will take a LONG time before WPA3 is(...) - Read More
• WPA2
  WPA2 is the standard protocol for protecting Wi-Fi networks, replacing the now obsolete WPA and WEP protocols. The WPA2 protocol is set to slowly be replaced with WPA3, which improves security significantly - especially on public networks. - Read More