IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication, developed by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802) in the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz public spectrum bands. In computing and telecommunications, the transport layer is the second highest layer in the four and five layer TCP/IP reference models, where it responds to service requests from the application layer and issues service requests to the Internet layer. ... The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite. ... User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite. ... The Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP) is a message-oriented transport layer protocol that is currently under development in the IETF. Applications that might make use of DCCP include those with timingconstraints on the delivery of data such that reliable in-order delivery, when combined with congestion control, is likely... In the field of computer networking, the IETF Signaling Transport (SIGTRAN) working group defined the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) as a transport layer protocol in 2002. ... The Real-time Transport Protocol (or RTP) defines a standardized packet format for delivering audio and video over the Internet. ... The Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP), described in RFC 2205, is a transport layer protocol designed to reserve resources across a network for an integrated services Internet. ... The Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is a communications protocol used to manage the membership of Internet Protocol multicast groups. ... The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is a method for implementing virtual private networks. ... The network layer is third layer out of seven in OSI model and it is the third layer out of five in TCP/IP model. ... The Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. ... Internet Protocol version 4 is the fourth iteration of the Internet Protocol (IP) and it is the first version of the protocol to be widely deployed. ... Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a network layer protocol for packet-switched internetworks. ... The Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol is a hierarchical interior gateway protocol (IGP) for routing in Internet Protocol, using a link-state in the individual areas that make up the hierarchy. ... Is Is is Yeah Yeah Yeahs third EP, to be released on July 24, 2007. ... The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the core routing protocol of the Internet. ... IPsec (IP security) is a suite of protocols for securing Internet Protocol (IP) communications by authenticating and/or encrypting each IP packet in a data stream. ... In computer networking, the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is the standard method for finding a hosts hardware address when only its network layer address is known. ... Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) is a network layer protocol used to obtain an IP address for a given hardware address (such as an Ethernet address). ... This article is chiefly about the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) for the Internet Protocol, but also discusses some other routing information protocols. ... The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite. ... The ICMP for IPv6 (Internet Control Message Protocol Version 6) is an integral part of the IPv6 architecture and must be completely supported by all IPv6 implementations. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The IEEE 802. ... Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi (pronounced wye-fye, IPA: ), also unofficially known as Wireless Fidelity, is a wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance intended to improve the interoperability of wireless local area network products based on the IEEE 802. ... Official WiMax logo WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access. ... Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a cell relay, packet switching network and data link layer protocol which encodes data traffic into small (53 bytes; 48 bytes of data and 5 bytes of header information) fixed-sized cells. ... Dynamic synchronous Transfer Mode , or DTM for short, is a network protocol. ... Token-Ring local area network (LAN) technology was developed and promoted by IBM in the early 1980s and standardised as IEEE 802. ... Ethernet is a large, diverse family of frame-based computer networking technologies that operate at many speeds for local area networks (LANs). ... In computer networking, fiber-distributed data interface (FDDI) is a standard for data transmission in a local area network that can extend in range up to 200 km (124 miles). ... In the context of computer networking, frame relay consists of an efficient data transmission technique used to send digital information quickly and cheaply in a relay of frames to one or many destinations from one or many end-points. ... General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a Mobile Data Service available to users of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and IS-136 mobile phones. ... Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data only, abbreviated as EV-DO or EVDO and often EV, is one telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access. ... High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is a collection of mobile telephony protocols that extend and improve the performance of existing UMTS protocols. ... High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) is a bit-oriented synchronous data link layer protocol developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... In computing, the Point-to-Point Protocol, or PPP, is commonly used to establish a direct connection between two nodes. ... In computer networking, the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is a tunneling protocol used to support virtual private networks (VPNs). ... ISDN redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... IEEE photograph of a diagram with the original terms for describing Ethernet drawn by Robert M. Metcalfe around 1976. ... For other uses, see Modem (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Power band. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Synchronous optical networking, SONET and Synchronous digital hierarchy. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Optical fibers An optical fiber (or fibre) is a glass or plastic fiber designed to guide light along its length. ... Coaxial Cable For the weapon, see coaxial weapon. ... 25 Pair Color Code Chart 10BASE-T UTP Cable Twisted pair cabling is a common form of wiring in which two conductors are wound around each other for the purposes of cancelling out electromagnetic interference known as crosstalk. ... The notebook is connected to the wireless access point using a PC card wireless card. ... Not to be confused with the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). ... IEEE 802 refers to a family of IEEE standards about local area networks and metropolitan area networks. ... A gigahertz is a billion hertz or a thousand megahertz, a measure of frequency. ... A gigahertz is a billion hertz or a thousand megahertz, a measure of frequency. ...

Although the terms 802.11 and Wi-Fi are often used interchangeably, the Wi-Fi Alliance uses the term "Wi-Fi" to define a slightly different set of overlapping standards. In some cases, market demand has led the Wi-Fi Alliance to begin certifying products before amendments to the 802.11 standard are complete.^{[citations needed]} Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi (pronounced wye-fye, IPA: ), also unofficially known as Wireless Fidelity, is a wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance intended to improve the interoperability of wireless local area network products based on the IEEE 802. ... Official Wi-Fi logo The Wi-Fi Alliance is a trade group that owns the trademark to Wi-Fi. ... The price P of a product is determined by a balance between production at each price (supply S) and the desires of those with purchasing power at each price (demand D). ...

General Description

A Linksys Residential gateway with an 802.11b radio and a 4-port ethernet switch.

A Compaq 802.11b PCI card

The 802.11 family includes over-the-air modulation techniques that use the same basic protocol. The most popular are those defined by the 802.11b and 802.11g protocols, and are amendments to the original standard. 802.11 was the first wireless networking standard, but 802.11b was the first widely accepted one, followed by 802.11g and 802.11n. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 4362 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Linksys ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 4362 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Linksys ... A 802. ... A residential gateway is a hardware device connecting a home network with a wide area network (WAN) or the Internet. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1638x1455, 317 KB) Summary This is a Compaq WL200 802. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1638x1455, 317 KB) Summary This is a Compaq WL200 802. ... In telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying a periodic waveform, i. ...

Security was originally purposefully weak ^[1] due to export requirements of some governments, and was later enhanced via the 802.11i amendment after governmental and legislative changes. 802.11n is a new multi-streaming modulation technique that is still under draft development, but products based on its proprietary pre-draft versions are being sold. Other standards in the family (c–f, h, j) are service amendments and extensions or corrections to previous specifications.

802.11b and 802.11g use the 2.4 GHz ISM band, operating in the United States under Part 15 of the US Federal Communications Commission Rules and Regulations. Because of this choice of frequency band, 802.11b and g equipment will suffer interference from microwave ovens , cordless telephone,Bluetooth devices, Baby Monitors, and Wireless security cameras. 802.11a uses the 5 GHz U-NII band, which is free of interference and offers 23 non-overlapping channels versus 3 non overlapping channels for the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11a devices are never affected by products operating on the 2.4 GHz band. A gigahertz is a billion hertz or a thousand megahertz, a measure of frequency. ... The industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands were originally reserved internationally for non-commercial use of RF electromagnetic fields for industrial, scientific and medical purposes. ... In the U.S., Part 15 is an often-quoted section of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations, mainly regarding unlicensed transmissions. ... FCC redirects here. ... For other uses, see Interference (disambiguation). ... Microwave oven A microwave oven, or microwave, is a kitchen appliance employing microwave radiation primarily to cook or heat food. ... A modern GE cordless telephone, model 26930 A cordless telephone or portable telephone is a telephone with a wireless handset which communicates via radio waves with a base station connected to a fixed telephone line (POTS) and can only be operated near (typically less than 100 meters) its base station... Bluetooth logo This article is about the electronic protocol named after Harald Bluetooth Gormson. ... The Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) radio band is part of the radio frequency spectrum used by IEEE-802. ...

The segment of the radio frequency spectrum used varies between countries. In the US, 802.11a and 802.11g devices may be operated without a license, as explained in Part 15 of the FCC Rules and Regulations. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Radio waves. ...

Protocols

Summary

IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) — essentially identical to Coded OFDM (COFDM) — is a digital multi-carrier modulation scheme, which uses a large number of closely-spaced orthogonal sub-carriers. ... IEEE 802. ... In telecommunications, direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is a modulation technique. ... IEEE 802. ... Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) — essentially identical to Coded OFDM (COFDM) — is a digital multi-carrier modulation scheme, which uses a large number of closely-spaced orthogonal sub-carriers. ... IEEE 802. ... See also systems analysis. ... IEEE 802. ...

802.11-1997 (802.11 legacy)

Main article: IEEE 802.11 (legacy mode)

The original version of the standard IEEE 802.11, released in 1997 and clarified in 1999, specified two raw data rates of 1 and 2 megabits per second (Mbit/s) to be transmitted in the Industrial Scientific Medical frequency band at 2.4 GHz. IEEE 802. ... In telecommunication, data signaling rate (DSR) is the aggregate rate at which data pass a point in the transmission path of a data transmission system. ... mega- (symbol M) is an SI prefix in the SI system of units denoting a factor of 106, i. ... In telecommunications and computing, bit rate (sometimes written bitrate) is the frequency at which bits are passing a given (physical or metaphorical) point. It is quantified using the bit per second (bit/s) unit. ... The industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands were originally reserved internationally for non-commercial use of RF electromagnetic fields for industrial, scientific and medical purposes. ...

Legacy 802.11 was rapidly supplemented (and popularized) by 802.11b.

802.11a

Main article: IEEE 802.11a-1999

The 802.11a standard uses the same core protocol as the original standard, operates in 5 GHz band with a maximum raw data rate of 54 Mbit/s, which yields realistic net achievable throughput in the mid-20 Mbit/s. IEEE 802. ...

Since the 2.4 GHz band is heavily used to the point of being crowded, using the relatively un-used 5 GHz band gives 802.11a a significant advantage. However, this high carrier frequency also brings a slight disadvantage: The effective overall range of 802.11a is slightly less than that of 802.11b/g; 802.11a signals cannot penetrate as far as those for 802.11b because they are absorbed more readily by walls and other solid objects in their path. The 802.11a advantage is multiplied by an abundance of non-overlapping channels 23 or more as compared to just 3 for the 2.4 GHz band.

802.11b

Main article: IEEE 802.11b-1999

802.11b has a maximum raw data rate of 11 Mbit/s and uses the same media access method defined in the original standard. 802.11b products appeared on the market in early 2000, since 802.11b is a direct extension of the modulation technique defined in the original standard. The dramatic increase in throughput of 802.11b (compared to the original standard) along with simultaneous substantial price reductions led to the rapid acceptance of 802.11b as the definitive wireless LAN technology. IEEE 802. ...

802.11b devices suffer interference from other products operating in the 2.4 GHz band. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz range include: microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and cordless telephones. Interference issues, and user density problems within the 2.4 GHz band have become a major concern and frustration for users.

802.11g

Main article: IEEE 802.11g-2003

In June 2003, a third modulation standard was ratified: 802.11g. This works in the 2.4 GHz band (like 802.11b) but operates at a maximum raw data rate of 54 Mbit/s, or about 19 Mbit/s net throughput. 802.11g hardware is fully backwards compatible with 802.11b hardware. IEEE 802. ...

The then-proposed 802.11g standard was rapidly adopted by consumers starting in January 2003, well before ratification, due to the desire for higher speeds, and reductions in manufacturing costs. By summer 2003, most dual-band 802.11a/b products became dual-band/tri-mode, supporting a and b/g in a single mobile adapter card or access point. Details of making b and g work well together occupied much of the lingering technical process; in an 802.11g network, however, the presence of a legacy 802.11b participant will significantly reduce the speed of the overall 802.11g network. An expansion card (also expansion board, adapter card or accessory card) in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard to add additional functionality to a computer system. ...

802.11g devices suffer interference from other products operating in the 2.4 GHz band. Devices operating in the 2.4 GHz range include: microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and cordless telephones. Interference issues, and user density problems within the 2.4 GHz band have become a major concern and frustration for users.

802.11-2007

In 2003, task group TGma was authorized to "roll up" many of the amendments to the 1999 version of the 802.11 standard. REVma or 802.11ma, as it was called, created a single document that merged 8 amendments (802.11a,b,d,e,g,h,i,j) with the base standard. Upon approval on March 08, 2007, 802.11REVma was renamed to the current standard IEEE 802.11-2007.^[2] This is the single most modern 802.11 document available that contains cumulative changes from multiple sub-letter task groups. IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... 2011 (MMXI) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

802.11n

Main article: IEEE 802.11n

802.11n is a proposed amendment which builds on the previous 802.11 standards by adding multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). Though there are already many products on the market based on Draft 2.0 of this proposal, the amendment is not expected to be approved until September 2008.^[3] IEEE 802. ... MIMO stands for multiple-input multiple-output, an abstract mathematical model for some systems. ...

An 802.11 access point may operate in one of three modes:

1. Legacy (only 802.11a, and b/g)
2. Mixed (802.11a, b/g, and n)
3. Greenfield (only 802.11n) - maximum performance

In software engineering jargon, a greenfield is a project which lacks any constraints imposed by prior work. ...

802.11s

Main article: IEEE 802.11s

802. ... 802. ...

Channels and international compatibility

See also: Wi-Fi Technical Information

802.11b and 802.11g – as well as 802.11n when using the 2.4 GHz band – divide the 2.4 GHz spectrum into 14 overlapping, staggered channels whose center frequencies are 5 megahertz (MHz) apart. The 802.11b, and 802.11g standards do specify the center frequency of the channel and a spectral mask width to a power level for that channel. The spectral mask for 802.11b requires that the signal be attenuated by at least 30 dB from its peak energy at ± 11 MHz from the center frequency. This means that an 802.11b/g product occupies five channels to an energy level of 30 dB down from the peak or center of the signal. For an FCC country the valid channels are one through eleven: this limits the number of non-overlapped channels to three. The normal system level channel configurations for deployments are channels 1, 6 and 11 for an FCC country and 1, 5, 9 and 13 for a European Union country. // Wi-Fi technology has gone through several generations since its inception in 1997. ... Channel, in communications (sometimes called communications channel), refers to the medium used to convey information from a sender (or transmitter) to a receiver. ... In telecommunications, a spectral mask is a mathematically-defined set of lines applied to the levels of radio (or optical) transmissions. ... This article is about Physics. ... For other uses, see Decibel (disambiguation). ...

Since the spectral mask only defines power output restrictions up to ± 22 MHz from the center frequency to be attenuated by 50 dB, it is often assumed that the energy of the channel extends no further than these limits. It is more correct to say that, given the separation between channels 1, 6, and 11, the signal on any channel should be sufficiently attenuated to minimally interfere with a transmitter on any other channel. Due to the near-far problem a transmitter can impact a receiver on a "non-overlapping" channel, but only if it is close to the victim receiver (within a meter) or operating above allowed power levels. The near-far problem is a situation that is common in wireless communication systems (in particular, CDMA). ...

Although the statement that channels 1, 6, and 11 are "non-overlapping" is limited to a spacing or product density, the 1–6–11 guideline has merit. If transmitters are closer together than channels 1, 6, and 11 (for example, 1, 4, 7, and 10), overlap between the channels may cause unacceptable degradation of signal quality and throughput.^[4]

The channels that are available for use in a particular country differ according to the regulations of that country. In the United States, for example, FCC regulations only allow channels 1 through 11 to be used. In Europe channels 1–13 are licensed for 802.11b operation (with 1, 5, 9 and 13 usually deployed). In Japan, all 14 channels are licensed for 802.11b operation. FCC redirects here. ...

Country Specific Licensing

Australia

In Australia the operation of WLAN devices is allowed under the following Class Licence:

• Radiocommunications Class Licence (Low Interference Potential Devices)

This licence allows for the operation of Digital modulation transmitters in the bands of 2400-2483.5 & 5725-5850 MHz bands, and the operation of Radio Local Area Network transmitters in 5150-5350 (Indoor Only), 5470-5600 & 5650-5725 MHz Bands. This corresponds to 802.11b/g channels 1 to 13, and 802.11a channels 36,40,44,48,52,56,60,64,149,153,157,161,165.

This means that WiFi shares the open 2.4ghz band with cordless phones and CB Radios.

Standard and Amendments

Within the IEEE 802.11 Working Group^[3], the following IEEE Standards Association Standard and Amendments exist: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is a leading developer of global industry standards in a broad-range of industries, including: Power and Energy Biomedical and Healthcare Information Technology Telecommunications Transportation Nanotechnology Information Assurance IEEE-SA has developed standards for over a century, through a...

• IEEE 802.11 - THE WLAN STANDARD was original 1 Mbit/s and 2 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz RF and IR standard (1997), all the others listed below are Amendments to this standard, except for Recommended Practices 802.11F and 802.11T.
• IEEE 802.11a - 54 Mbit/s, 5 GHz standard (1999, shipping products in 2001)
• IEEE 802.11b - Enhancements to 802.11 to support 5.5 and 11 Mbit/s (1999)
• IEEE 802.11c - Bridge operation procedures; included in the IEEE 802.1D standard (2001)
• IEEE 802.11d - International (country-to-country) roaming extensions (2001)
• IEEE 802.11e - Enhancements: QoS, including packet bursting (2005)
• IEEE 802.11F - Inter-Access Point Protocol (2003) _{Withdrawn February 2006}
• IEEE 802.11g - 54 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz standard (backwards compatible with b) (2003)
• IEEE 802.11h - Spectrum Managed 802.11a (5 GHz) for European compatibility (2004)
• IEEE 802.11i - Enhanced security (2004)
• IEEE 802.11j - Extensions for Japan (2004)
• IEEE 802.11-2007 - A new release of the standard that includes amendments a, b, d, e, g, h, i & j. (July 2007)
• IEEE 802.11k - Radio resource measurement enhancements _{(proposed - 2007?)}
• IEEE 802.11l - _{(reserved and will not be used)}
• IEEE 802.11m - Maintenance of the standard. Recent edits became 802.11-2007. _(ongoing)
• IEEE 802.11n - Higher throughput improvements using MIMO (multiple input, multiple output antennas) _{(September 2008)}
• IEEE 802.11o - _{(reserved and will not be used)}
• IEEE 802.11p - WAVE - Wireless Access for the Vehicular Environment (such as ambulances and passenger cars) _{(working - 2009?)}
• IEEE 802.11q - _{(reserved and will not be used, can be confused with 802.1Q VLAN trunking)}
• IEEE 802.11r - Fast roaming _{Working "Task Group r" - 2007?}
• IEEE 802.11s - ESS Extended Service Set Mesh Networking _{(working - 2008?)}
• IEEE 802.11T - Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) - test methods and metrics Recommendation _{(working - 2008?)}
• IEEE 802.11u - Interworking with non-802 networks (for example, cellular) _{(proposal evaluation - ?)}
• IEEE 802.11v - Wireless network management _{(early proposal stages - ?)}
• IEEE 802.11w - Protected Management Frames _{(early proposal stages - 2008?)}
• IEEE 802.11x - _{(reserved and will not be used, can be confused with 802.1x Network Access Control)}
• IEEE 802.11y - 3650-3700 MHz Operation in the U.S. _{(March 2008?)}
• IEEE 802.11z - Extensions to Direct Link Setup (DLS) _{(Aug. 2007 - Dec. 2011)}

There is no standard or task group named "802.11x". Rather, this term is used informally to denote any current or future 802.11 amendment, in cases where further precision is not necessary. (The IEEE 802.1x standard for port-based network access control is often mistakenly called "802.11x" when used in the context of wireless networks.) IEEE 802. ... Links ANSI/IEEE Std 802. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... In the fields of packet-switched networks and computer networking, the traffic engineering term Quality of Service (QoS) refers to control mechanisms that can provide different priority to different users or data flows, or guarantee a certain level of performance to a data flow in accordance with requests from the... Inter-Access Point Protocol or 802. ... The existing 802. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... Roaming is a general term in wireless telecommunications that refers to the extending of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. ... 802. ... ESS - Extended Service Set. ... 802. ... 802. ... 802. ... Network management refers to the maintenance and administration of large-scale computer networks and telecommunications networks at the top level. ... 802. ... IEEE 802. ... 802. ... A wireless node must be authenticated before it can gain access to other LAN resources IEEE 802. ...

802.11F and 802.11T are recommended practices rather than standards, and are capitalized as such.

Standard or Amendment?

Both the terms "standard" and "amendment" are used when referring to the different variants of IEEE 802.11. Which is correct?

As far as the IEEE Standards Association is concerned, there is only one current standard, it is denoted by- IEEE 802.11 followed by the date that it was published. IEEE 802.11-2007 is the only version currently in publication. The standard is updated by means of amendments. Amendments are created by task groups (TG). Both the task group and their finished document are denoted by 802.11 followed by a non-capitalized letter. For example IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.11b. Updating 802.11 is the responsibility of task group m. In order to create a new version, TGm combines the previous version of the standard and all published amendments. TGm also provides clarification and interpretation to industry on published documents. New versions of the IEEE 802.11 were published in 1999 and 2007. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE (pronounced as eye-triple-ee) is an international non-profit, professional organization incorporated in the State of New York, United States. ... IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ...

The working title of 802.11-2007 was 802.11-REVma. This denotes a third type of document, a "revision". The complexity of combining 802.11-1999 with 8 amendments made it necessary to revise already agreed upon text. As a result, additional guidelines associated with a revision had to be followed.

Nomenclature

Various terms in 802.11 are used to specify aspects of wireless local-area networking operation, and may be unfamiliar to some readers.

For example, Time Unit (usually abbreviated TU) is used to indicate a unit of time equal to 1024 microseconds. Numerous time constants are defined in terms of TU (rather than the nearly-equal millisecond). In the IEEE 802. ...

Also the term "Portal" is used to describe an entity that is similar to an IEEE 802.1D bridge. A Portal provides access to the WLAN by non-802.11 LAN STAs. Links ANSI/IEEE Std 802. ...

Community networks

With the proliferation of cable modems and DSL, there is an ever-increasing market of people who wish to establish small networks in their homes to share their high speed Internet connection. An outdated model of the Motorola Surfboard cable modem A cable modem is a type of modem that provides access to a data signal sent over the cable television infrastructure. ... DSL redirects here. ...

Many hotspot or free networks frequently allow anyone within range, including passersby outside, to connect to the Internet. There are also efforts by volunteer groups to establish wireless community networks to provide free wireless connectivity to the public. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Security

In 2001, a group from the University of California, Berkeley presented a paper describing weaknesses in the 802.11 Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security mechanism defined in the original standard; they were followed by Fluhrer, Mantin, and Shamir's paper entitled "Weaknesses in the Key Scheduling Algorithm of RC4". Not long after, Adam Stubblefield and AT&T publicly announced the first verification of the attack. In the attack they were able to intercept transmissions and gain unauthorized access to wireless networks. Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... IEEE 802. ... Wired Equivalent Privacy or Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) is a scheme to secure IEEE 802. ... In cryptography, the Fluhrer, Mantin, and Shamir attack allows an attacker to recover the key in an RC4 encrypted stream from a large number of messages in that stream. ... In cryptography, RC4 (also known as ARC4 or ARCFOUR) is the most widely-used software stream cipher and is used in popular protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) (to protect Internet traffic) and WEP (to secure wireless networks). ... This article is about the current AT&T. For the 1885-2005 company, see American Telephone & Telegraph. ...

The IEEE set up a dedicated task group to create a replacement security solution, 802.11i (previously this work was handled as part of a broader 802.11e effort to enhance the MAC layer). The Wi-Fi Alliance announced an interim specification called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) based on a subset of the then current IEEE 802.11i draft. These started to appear in products in mid-2003. IEEE 802.11i (also known as WPA2) itself was ratified in June 2004, and uses government strength encryption in the Advanced Encryption Standard AES, instead of RC4, which was used in WEP. The modern recommended encryption for the home/consumer space is WPA2 (AES PreShared Key) and for the Enterprise space is WPA2 along with a radius server the strongest is EAP-TLS. The Media Access Control (MAC) data communication protocol sub-layer, also known as the Medium Access Control, is a part of the data link layer specified in the seven-layer OSI model (layer 2). ... Official Wi-Fi logo The Wi-Fi Alliance is a trade group that owns the trademark to Wi-Fi. ... Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) is a class of systems to secure wireless (Wi-Fi) computer networks. ... Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) is a class of systems to secure wireless (Wi-Fi) computer networks. ... IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... In cryptography, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), also known as Rijndael, is a block cipher adopted as an encryption standard by the U.S. government. ... In cryptography, RC4 (also known as ARC4 or ARCFOUR) is the most widely-used software stream cipher and is used in popular protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) (to protect Internet traffic) and WEP (to secure wireless networks). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In January 2005, IEEE set up yet another task group TGw to protect management and broadcast frames, which previously were sent unsecured. See IEEE 802.11w The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE (pronounced as eye-triple-ee) is an international non-profit, professional organization incorporated in the State of New York, United States. ... 802. ...

Non-standard 802.11 extensions and equipment

Many companies implement wireless networking equipment with non-IEEE standard 802.11 extensions either by implementing proprietary or draft features. These changes may lead to incompatibilities between these extensions.

For more details on this topic, see 802.11 non-standard equipment.

802. ...

See also

• Bluetooth, another wireless protocol primarily designed for shorter range applications.
• Ultra-wideband
• Wibree
• Spectral efficiency comparison table
• IEEE 802.15
• IEEE 802.16 (aka WiMAX)
• IEEE 802.20
• IEEE 802.22
• List of device bandwidths

Bluetooth logo This article is about the electronic protocol named after Harald Bluetooth Gormson. ... Ultra-wideband (also UWB, and ultra-wide-band, ultra-wide band, etc. ... Wibree is a digital radio technology (intended to become an open standard of wireless communications) designed for ultra low power consumption (button cell batteries) within a short range (10 meters / 30 feet) based around low-cost transceiver microchips in each device. ... Spectral efficiency or spectrum efficiency refers to the amount of information that can be transmitted over a given bandwidth in a specific digital communication system. ... IEEE 802. ... The IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... IEEE 802. ... This is a list of device bandwidths: the channel capacity (or, more informally, bandwidth) of some computer devices employing methods of data transport is listed by bit/s, kilobit/s (kbit/s), megabit/s (Mbit/s), or gigabit/s (Gbit/s) as appropriate and also MB/s or megabytes per...

External links

• IEEE 802.11 working group
• Download the 802.11 standards from IEEE
• Official IEEE 802.11 Work Plan predictions
• "Using the Fluhrer, Mantin, and Shamir Attack to Break WEP" (2001), paper by Stubblefield (PDF)
• 802.11n: Next-Generation Wireless LAN Technology, paper by Broadcom

References

1. ^ http://www.bbwexchange.com/wireless_internet_access/802.11g_wireless_internet_access.asp
2. ^ IEEE 802.11 Working Group (2007-06-12). IEEE 802.11-2007: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications. ISBN 0-7381-5656-9. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Official IEEE 802.11 working group project timelines (2007-10-07). Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
4. ^ Channel Deployment Issues for 2.4 GHz 802.11 WLANs. Cisco Systems, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.