Glossary

(1) Symbol for watt or wattage. (2) Abbreviation for white when used in conjunction with twisted-pair cable color codes; may also be Wh.

A wall plate is a flat plastic or metal that usually mounts in or on a wall. Wall plates include one or more jacks.

A network that crosses local, regional, and international boundaries. Some types of internetwork technology such as a leased-line, ATM, or frame relay connect local area networks (LANs) together to form WANs.

A unit of electrical power.

A graphical representation of the amplitude of a signal over time.

A structure that guides electromagnetic waves along their length. The core fiber in an optical-fiber cable is an optical waveguide.

A connection in which light is transferred between waveguides.

That part of the chromatic dispersion (spreading) that occurs in a single-mode fiber as some of the light passes through the cladding and travels at a higher velocity than the signal in the core, due to the cladding

The variations caused by subtle differences in the geometry and fiber index profile of an optical fiber.

(1) The distance between two corresponding points in a series of waves. (2) With respect to optical fiber communications, the distance an electromagnetic wave travels in the time it takes to oscillate through a complete cycle. Wavelengths of light are measured in nanometers or micrometers. Wavelength is preferred over the term frequency when describing light.

A wave division multiplexer

The variation in an optical parameter caused by a change in the operating wavelength.

Way- The amount of possible contacts on a connector.  For instance a D9W has 9 pins and therefore there are 9 possible connections.

A method of carrying multiple channels through a fiber at the same time (multiplexing) whereby signals within a small spectral range are transmitted at different wavelengths through the same optical-fiber cable. See also frequency division multiplexing.

A unit covering 2G and 3G, also see Broadband