About Technical Terms

In this section, technical terms used in the manual are explained.

A

B

C

D

F

I

K

L

M

O

P

R

S

T

U

W

A

  • Access Point

    A wireless transceiver or base station that receives information from wireless clients/the machine and rebroadcasts it. Required in an infrastructure network.

  • Ad-hoc

    Client computer and machine setting where wireless communication occurs on a peer-to-peer basis, i.e., all clients in with the same SSID/network name communicate directly with each other. No access point is required. This machine does not support ad-hoc communication.

  • Admin Password

    Administration password in IJ Network Tool to restrict access to network users. It must be entered to access the printer and change printer settings.

    When the printer's network settings are factory default, the admin password does not have to been entered.

  • AES

    An encryption method. It is optional for WPA. Strong cryptographic algorithm adopted within U.S. government organizations for information processing.

  • Authentication Method

    The method that an access point uses to authenticate a printer through a wireless LAN. The methods are agreeable each other.

    When using WEP as an encryption method, the authentication method is able to fix to Open System or Shared Key.

    For WPA/WPA2, authentication method is PSK.

    • Auto

      The printer automatically changes its authentication method to match the access point.

    • Open System

      In this authentication method, the communication partner is authenticated without using WEP key even if Use WEP is selected.

    • Shared Key

      In this authentication method, the communication partner is authenticated using the WEP key that was set for encryption.

B

  • Bonjour

    A service built into Mac OS X operating system to detect the connectable devices on a network automatically.

C

  • Channel

    Frequency channel for wireless communication. In the infrastructure mode, the channel is automatically adjusted to match that set to the access point. This machine supports channels 1 to 13. Note that the number of channels that can be used for your wireless LAN varies depending on the region or country.

D

  • Default Gateway

    A relay device to connect to another network such as a router or a computer.

  • DHCP server functionality

    The router or the access point assigns an IP address automatically whenever the printer or the personal computer on a network starts up.

  • DNS server

    A server that converts device names into IP addresses. When specifying IP addresses manually, specify the addresses of both a primary and a secondary server.

F

  • Firewall

    It is a system that prevents an unlawful computer access in the network. To prevent, you can use the firewall function of a broadband router, the security software installed in the computer, or operation system for computer.

I

  • IEEE 802.11b

    International standard for wireless LAN using the 2.4 GHz frequency range with a throughput of up to 11 Mbps.

  • IEEE 802.11g

    International standard for wireless LAN using the 2.4 GHz frequency range with a throughput of up to 54 Mbps. Compatible with 802.11b.

  • IEEE 802.11n

    International standard for wireless LAN using the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency ranges. Even when using two or more antennas simultaneously or obtaining a bigger transfer rate than before by using multiple communication channels at the same time, the transmission speed may be influenced by the connected apparatus.

    At the maximum transfer rate of 600 Mbps, it is possible to communicate with multiple computer terminals within a dozen or so metre radius.

    Compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g.

  • Infrastructure

    Client computer and machine setup where all wireless communications pass through an access point.

  • IP Address

    A unique number with four parts separated by dots. Every network device that is connected to the Internet has an IP address. Example: 192.168.0.1

    An IP address is usually assigned by an access point or a DHCP server of the router automatically.

  • IPv4/IPv6

    They are internetwork-layer protocol used on the internet. IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses and IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses.

K

  • Key Format

    Select either ASCII or Hex as the WEP key format. The character that can be used for the WEP key differs depending on the selected key formats.

    • ASCII

      Specify with a 5 or 13-character string that can include alphanumeric and underscore "_" characters. It is case-sensitive.

    • Hex

      Specify a 10-digit or 26-digit string that can contain hexadecimal (0 to 9, A to F, and a to f).

  • Key Length

    Length of the WEP key. Select either 64 bits or 128 bits. Longer key length allows you to set a more complex WEP key.

L

  • Link Quality

    The status of connection between the access point and the printer excluding noise (interference) is indicated with a value from 0 to 100%.

  • LPR

    A platform-independent printing protocol used in TCP/IP networks. It is not supported bidirectional communication.

M

  • MAC Address

    Also known as the physical address. A unique and permanent hardware identifier that is assigned to network devices by its manufacturer. MAC addresses are 48 bits long and are written as a hexadecimal number separated by colons, i.e., 11:22:33:44:55:66.

O

  • Operation Status

    Indicates the status on whether the printer can be used.

P

  • Proxy server

    A server that links a LAN-connected computer to the Internet. When using a proxy server, specify the address and the port number of the proxy server.

  • PSK

    An encryption method employed by WPA/WPA2.

R

  • Router

    A relay device to connect to another network.

S

  • Signal Strength

    The strength of the signal received by the printer from the access point is indicated with a value from 0 to 100%.

  • SSID

    Unique label for wireless LAN. It is often represented such as a network name or an access point name.

    SSID distinguishes one wireless LAN from another to prevent interference.

    The printer and all clients on a wireless LAN must use the same SSID in order to communicate with each other. The SSID can be up to 32 characters long, and is made up of alphanumeric characters. The SSID may also be referred to by its network name.

  • Stealth

    In the stealth mode, an access point hides itself by not broadcasting its SSID. The client must specify the SSID set to the access point to detect it.

  • Subnet Mask

    IP address has two components, the network address and the host address. Subnet Mask used to calculate the Subnet Mask address from the IP address. A Subnet Mask is usually assigned by an access point or a DHCP server of the router automatically.

    Example:

    IP Address: 192.168.127.123

    Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

    Subnet Mask Address: 192.168.127.0

T

  • TCP/IP

    Suite of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the Internet or the LAN. This protocol allows different terminals to communicate with each other.

  • TKIP

    An encryption protocol employed by WPA/WPA2.

U

  • USB

    Serial interface designed to enable you to "hot-swap" devices, i.e., by plugging and unplugging them without turning off the power.

W

  • WCN (Windows Connect Now)

    Users running Windows Vista or later can obtain the setting information directly via wireless network (WCN-NET).

  • WEP/WEP Key

    An encryption method employed by IEEE 802.11. Shared security key used to encrypt and decrypt data sent over wireless networks. This printer supports key length of 64 bits or 128 bits, key format of ASCII code or Hexadecimal, and key number of 1 to 4.

  • Wi-Fi

    International association that certifies interoperability of wireless LAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification.

    This machine is a Wi-Fi authorized product.

  • Wireless LAN

    A network that, instead of being connected by physical wires, is connected by a wireless technology, such as Wi-Fi.

  • WPA

    Security framework announced by the Wi-Fi Alliance in October 2002. The security has been strengthened more than WEP.

    • Authentication

      WPA defines the following authentication methods: PSK that can be used without an authentication server, plus WPA-802.1x that do require an authentication server.

      This machine supports WPA-PSK.

    • Passphrase

      This encrypted key is used to perform WPA-PSK authentication.

      The passphrase should be a string of 8 to 63 alphanumeric characters or a 64-digit hexadecimal value.

  • WPA2

    Security framework released by the Wi-Fi Alliance in September 2004 as a later version of WPA. Provides a stronger encryption mechanism through Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

    • Authentication

      WPA2 defines the following authentication methods: PSK that can be used without an authentication server, plus WPA2-802.1x that do require an authentication server.

      This machine supports WPA2-PSK.

    • Passphrase

      This encrypted key is used to perform WPA2-PSK authentication.

      The passphrase should be a string of 8 to 63 alphanumeric characters or a 64-digit hexadecimal value.

  • WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)

    WPS is a standard for easy and secure establishment of a wireless network.

    There are 2 primary methods used in the Wi-Fi Protected Setup:

    PIN entry: a mandatory method of setup for all WPS certified devices

    Push button configuration (PBC): an actual push button on the hardware or through a simulated push button in the software.