80211

IEEE 802.11 is a family of standards for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by the IEEE 802.11 Working Group. These standards define the physical and MAC layers that enable devices such as computers, smartphones, and access points to communicate over short distances without cables. 802.11 is widely used in homes, businesses, schools, and public hotspots and is commonly associated with the wireless “Wi‑Fi” branding, though Wi‑Fi is the marketing name for devices that implement these standards.

Since its inception, the 802.11 family has evolved to provide higher speeds, greater efficiency, and new radio bands. Early widely deployed amendments include 802.11b (2.4 GHz, up to 11 Mbps), 802.11a (5 GHz, up to 54 Mbps), and 802.11g (2.4 GHz, up to 54 Mbps). The 802.11n amendment introduced MIMO technology and higher data rates. 802.11ac (Wi‑Fi 5) operates mainly in the 5 GHz band with very high throughput through wider channels and MU‑MIMO. 802.11ax (Wi‑Fi 6) adds OFDMA and improved efficiency for dense environments. The 802.11be amendment (Wi‑Fi 7) aims to further increase throughput and efficiency with wider channels and multi-link operation. In addition to these, 802.11ad and 802.11ay define high‑speed, short‑range links in the 60 GHz band.

Radio operation typically uses unlicensed spectrum, with common deployments in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and more recently 6 GHz for Wi‑Fi 6E. Security has evolved from WEP to WPA2 and WPA3, emphasizing stronger encryption and safer authentication.

Networks are built from basic service sets and extended service sets, connected to wired networks via access points to provide roaming and centralized management.