802.11: 802.11 is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard for wireless local area network interoperability. In fact it consists of a family of standards, this family includes 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g.

3G: Third generation - these are wireless technologies designed for high-speed transmission of voice and data, including mobile audio, video, and e-commerce.

Access Point: A wireless LAN transmitter/receiver that connects wired networks with wireless clients such as PDAs and laptop computers.

Authentication: A process used by wireless carriers to verify the identity of a mobile station.

Base Station: The central radio transmitter and (or) receiver that sustains communications with mobile devices within a given range.

Bluetooth: A short-range wireless specification that allows for radio connections between devices within a 30-foot range of each other.

Encryption: The process of scrambling or encoding a message such as a digital phone signal to prevent it from being read by unauthorized parties.

Ethernet: A communications method for Local Area Networks that uses a coaxial cable to connect different kinds of computers.

Firewall: A network component that provides security to all of the computers on the network.

LAN: (Local Area Network) A type of network that serves users within a confined area, such as a company or geographical area.

Mbps: (Mega /million bits per second) Measurement of transmission speed or bandwidth (over a given network).

PDA: PDA (personal digital assistant) Mobile, handheld devices that give users access to text-based information. These devices enable services such as paging, data messaging, electronic mail, stock quotations, handwriting recognition, personal computing, facsimile, date book, and other information-handling capabilities.

Protocol: Formal description of a set of rules and conventions that govern how devices on a network exchange information.

Server: A dedicated computer or device that is shared by computers on a network. Servers store data and processing functions that are needed by all computers on a network.

Transmitter: A device that generates radio waves and sends them to an antenna.

WAP: (Wireless Application Protocol) A wireless standard that cutomizes data for display on mobile devices, by doing away with unecessary graphics.

WEP: (Wired Equivalent Privacy) Optional security mechanism defined within the 802.11 standard.

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity and is a logo provided by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Association (WECA) for the 802.11b wireless Ethernet standard.

Wireless Internet: A radio frequency (RF) based service that provides Internet access, e-mail and/or the World Wide Web.

Wireless Middleware: Software that seperates applications from the underlying wireless network itself. Wireless middleware is used to develop new applications based on the wireless network and to connect legacy applications to the wireless environment.

Wireless PC Card: PC card is inserted into the notebook's PC card slot and includes an internal antenna to allow communication with a network or the Internet.

Wireless Platform: The software that facilitates the communication between different wireless devices and networks, also controlling the transfer of data through that network.

Excerpt from: http://misbridge.mccombs.utexas.edu/knowledge/topics/univwire/keyterms.asp