802.11
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IEEE 802.11 is the set of wireless networking protocols that define the operation of wireless local area networks (WLANs). The protocol was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802)
Wireless Standards
The IEEE 802.11 standard was first published in 1997 and has since been updated several times. The current version of the standard is 802.11ax, which was published in 2021.
The 802.11 standard defines the physical layer (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layer of the wireless network. The PHY layer is responsible for transmitting and receiving radio waves, while the MAC layer is responsible for managing access to the wireless medium.
802.11 Protocols
The 802.11 standard defines a number of different protocols, each of which is designed for a specific type of wireless network. The most common 802.11 protocols are:
- 802.11a: Operates in the 5 GHz band and provides data rates up to 54 Mbps.
- 802.11b: Operates in the 2.4 GHz band and provides data rates up to 11 Mbps.
- 802.11g: Operates in the 2.4 GHz band and provides data rates up to 54 Mbps.
- 802.11n: Operates in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band and provides data rates up to 600 Mbps.
- 802.11ac: Operates in the 5 GHz band and provides data rates up to 3.468 Gbps.
- 802.11ax: Operates in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band and provides data rates up to 9.6 Gbps.
Security
The 802.11 standard includes a number of security features to protect wireless networks from unauthorized access. These features include:
- WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy): Provides basic encryption for wireless networks.
- WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access): Provides stronger encryption than WEP and includes additional security features.
- WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2): Provides even stronger encryption than WPA and includes additional security features.
