LAN & WAN Quick Reference Guide – Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core networking and security terminology referenced in the lecture, emphasizing concepts relevant to Verkada’s products and operations.

Local Area Network (LAN)

The portion of a network under your control; connects devices within a limited area such as an office or building.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Network that spans large geographic areas; commonly refers to the public Internet.

Bandwidth (Verkada context)

The amount of data that can be sent from the LAN to the Internet at any given time.

Bit

The smallest unit of digital data, representing a 1 or 0.

Kilobit (Kb)

Approximately one thousand bits (1,000 bits).

Megabit (Mb)

Approximately one thousand kilobits or one million bits (1,000 Kb).

Switch

A device that forwards data within the same network using MAC addresses and often provides PoE for Verkada cameras.

Router

A device that moves traffic between different networks using IP addresses.

Firewall

A network security device that monitors and controls traffic between trusted and untrusted networks based on predefined rules.

Server

Hardware or software that provides services to client devices (e.g., DHCP, Active Directory, Web, File servers).

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Network service that automatically assigns IP addresses and related information to devices such as Verkada cameras.

Local Streaming

Viewing camera footage over the LAN so it does not consume WAN (Internet) bandwidth.

Ethernet

Standard wired networking technology that uses twisted-pair cables to connect devices to a switch.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Technique that supplies electrical power and data over the same Ethernet cable; variants include PoE+ and PoE++.

The Cloud

A collection of virtualized servers in distributed data centers (e.g., AWS) that host services like Verkada Command.

Encryption

Process of encoding data so it cannot be read without proper credentials; used both at rest and in transit.

AES-128/256

Advanced Encryption Standard keys (128-bit or 256-bit) used for data-at-rest encryption.

HTTPS / TLS 1.2

Protocols providing encrypted, secure data-in-transit communication over TCP 443.

MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)

Security method requiring a second form of verification, typically via smartphone, in addition to a password.

SSO (Single Sign-On)

Authentication system that lets users log in to multiple services through a trusted identity provider such as Okta or Google.

Firewall Port

A numbered logical endpoint (TCP or UDP) that traffic passes through; minimizing open ports increases security.

Cloud Connector

Hardware appliance that streams third-party or legacy NVR footage to the cloud, enabling remote viewing without full system replacement.

DHCP

Hardware that provides power and data connectivity

to a device