radio beacon

fixed ground-based radio transmitter that serves as a navigation aid in determining the direction or position for ships and aircrafts

Electric beacons are a kind of beacon used with direction finding equipment to find ones relative bearing to a known location (the beacon).The term electric beacon includes radio, infrared and sonar beacons.In the field of Wi-Fi, the term beacon signifies a kind of wireless data which carries the SSID, the channel and security protocols such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection) or WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) along with it in a non-directional way, beacons are simple radio frequency signals emited by simple wireless devices, such as wireless SOHO routers which emit beacons ranging from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz varying channel 1 to 11 but the channel 1, 6 and 11 are low interfrence channels. See [1] and [2]
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Noun
1. a characteristic signal emitted by a transmitter used for navigation
(hypernym) signal, signaling, sign
2. a radio station that broadcasts a directional signal for navigational purposes
(synonym) beacon
(hypernym) radio station

A radio transmitter which emits a distinctive, or characteristic, signal used for the determination of bearings, courses, or location. See also beacon; fan marker beacon; localizer; z-marker beacon. 1/11/68

Emetteur radio émettant un signal distinctif ou caractéristique employé pour la détermination de relèvements, de caps ou de positions. Voir aussi radioborne en éventail; radioborne Z; radiophare d'alignement; balise. 1/11/68

(See NONDIRECTIONAL BEACON.)