JNCIS-MistAI-Wireless key terms

A logical wireless network name that client devices discover and join. A single access point can advertise multiple SSIDs, each mapped to its own VLAN, security policy, and forwarding mode.

The MAC address identifying one specific radio instance of an SSID on an access point. Clients and Mist use it to distinguish individual radios when troubleshooting association and roaming problems.

Combining adjacent 20 MHz channels into 40, 80, or 160 MHz widths to raise throughput. Wider channels reduce the number of non-overlapping channels available and raise the noise floor, so dense deployments often prefer narrower widths.

Degradation caused when multiple access points or clients transmit on the same channel and hear each other. It reduces airtime efficiency and shows up as retries and lower throughput in client experience metrics.

The assignment of channels and widths to radios across a site so that neighboring coverage cells use different frequencies. Mist can compute and push an optimized plan through radio resource management.

The percentage of time a channel is busy with transmissions, regardless of which device is sending. High utilization with low throughput usually signals inefficient management frames, retries, or legacy data rates.

Received Signal Strength Indicator, a relative measure of how strongly a client hears an access point (or vice versa). It is reported in dBm and used for coverage validation and roaming thresholds.

Signal-to-noise ratio, the difference in dB between the received signal and the background noise floor. Higher SNR supports higher modulation and coding schemes; low SNR forces lower data rates and more retries.

The process by which a client moves its association from one access point or BSSID to another while keeping its session. Fast roaming methods such as 802.11r reduce reauthentication time during the transition.

A standard for fast BSS transition that lets a client pre-authenticate with a target access point before roaming. It shortens handoff time, which matters for voice and other latency-sensitive applications.

A security mode using 802.1X authentication with a RADIUS server and per-user credentials, rather than a shared passphrase. It enables per-user role assignment and accounting in Mist WLANs.

Pre-shared key security, where all users of a WLAN share one passphrase. It is simple to deploy but offers no per-user identity, so Mist cannot apply per-user policies or attribute traffic to individuals.

The modulation and coding scheme speed used for a frame, chosen from signal quality and client capabilities. Disabling low legacy rates shrinks the coverage cell and improves overall airtime efficiency.

Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access, a Wi-Fi 6 feature that splits a channel into resource units so several clients transmit simultaneously. It reduces contention overhead in high-density environments.

Multi-user MIMO, which lets an access point serve multiple clients at once using spatial streams. Downlink MU-MIMO arrived with Wi-Fi 5; uplink support came with Wi-Fi 6.

The Juniper-hosted platform that manages Mist access points, switches, and clients. It holds configuration, runs AI-driven analytics, and delivers services such as Marvis and location, with access points connecting outbound to it.

The process of claiming a device into a Mist organization and assigning it to a site so it receives configuration. Access points must reach the cloud and be adopted before they can be managed.

The top-level container in the Mist portal that holds sites, devices, WLAN templates, and administrators. Settings such as subscriptions and admin accounts are scoped at this level.

A grouping of devices and configuration that typically represents one physical location. Sites inherit organization-level settings and can override them with site-level WLANs, RF profiles, and policies.

A reusable set of WLAN configuration applied to many sites, with per-site overrides where allowed. Templates keep SSIDs, security, and VLAN assignments consistent across a large deployment.

Managing access points, switches, or clients through a path separate from the wireless data plane, such as a management VLAN or the cloud portal. It keeps control available even when user traffic is disrupted.

A Layer 2 broadcast domain used to separate traffic. In Mist, a WLAN is mapped to a VLAN ID, and the access point tags client traffic so the upstream switch can place it in the right network.

A forwarding mode where client traffic is encapsulated from the access point to a gateway or concentrator rather than bridged locally. It centralizes policy and roaming across subnets but adds a traffic path dependency.

A forwarding mode where the access point forwards client traffic directly onto the local wired LAN, typically tagging it with a VLAN. Traffic stays local, which avoids tromboning but limits cross-subnet roaming.

A named collection of radio settings such as channel width, transmit power, and data rates that can be applied to many access points. It standardizes RF behavior per site or per device group.

Radio Resource Management, the automated process that adjusts channel and transmit power on access points. Mist continuously evaluates RF neighbors and can recommend or apply changes to reduce interference.

Rules that determine which clients may join a WLAN and what they are allowed to do, based on identity, device type, or posture. Policies can assign VLANs or roles dynamically after authentication.

Mist's classification of a connecting device's operating system and type from DHCP, HTTP, and other observed attributes. Accurate fingerprints drive device-specific policies and experience scoring.

A service that proxies multicast discovery protocols such as mDNS across VLANs so devices like printers and Apple TVs are discoverable beyond their local subnet. It reduces multicast flooding while preserving discovery.

One-to-many delivery of frames to a group address. On Wi-Fi, multicast is sent at a low basic rate and can consume airtime, so it is often converted to unicast or filtered at the access point.

Service Level Expectation, a Mist metric that scores a specific user experience, such as coverage, roaming, or throughput, against a defined threshold. Each SLE classifies failures into root causes.

Mist's classification of why an SLE failed, attributing a problem to causes such as coverage holes, interference, or configuration. It points administrators to the specific issue rather than raw counters.

Juniper Mist's AI-driven virtual network assistant. It answers natural-language questions about the network, surfaces anomalies, and can take or recommend actions based on telemetry from the cloud.

A prioritized list of issues Marvis detects across the network, each with a recommended or automated fix. Actions cover categories such as offline devices, bad cables, and misconfigured WLANs.

Synthetic client tests that continuously probe the network to verify connectivity and services without real users. They can detect problems such as DHCP or DNS failures before users report them.

Mist access points use built-in or USB Bluetooth radios to detect BLE asset tags and badges, feeding location data to the cloud. It enables asset visibility without extra sensor infrastructure.

Using BLE tags and access point radios to locate and monitor equipment or people across a site. Mist reports last-seen location and can alert when an asset leaves an expected zone.

A defined geographic area on a floor plan used for location rules, engagement, or asset containment. Entering or leaving a zone can trigger notifications and analytics events.

Location-based analytics that measure visitor presence, dwell time, and repeat visits using Wi-Fi and BLE observations. It helps venues understand foot traffic without requiring users to connect.

How closely a computed device position matches its true position, usually expressed in meters. It depends on access point density, calibration, and whether BLE or Wi-Fi scanning is used.