80211Standards

IEEE 802.11 refers to a family of wireless local area network standards defined by the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee. The 802.11 specifications cover both the physical layer, describing radio transmission methods, and the media access control layer, describing how devices share the wireless medium.

Most amendments operate in the unlicensed ISM bands, notably 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, with newer work extending to 6 GHz and, in some cases, millimeter-wave bands.

The 802.11 family began with the original standard in 1997. Major revisions include 802.11b (11 Mbps at 2.4 GHz), 802.11a (54 Mbps at 5 GHz), and 802.11g (54 Mbps at 2.4 GHz). Subsequent amendments introduced higher-throughput technologies such as 802.11n (MIMO, up to ~600 Mbps) and 802.11ac (multi‑gigabit speeds in the 5 GHz band). More recent work includes 802.11ax (Wi‑Fi 6, higher efficiency in dense environments) and 802.11be (Wi‑Fi 7, targeting very high throughput).

Key technical features across revisions include modulation schemes like OFDM, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and, in newer amendments, OFDMA and MU‑MDMA for better spectrum use. Channel bonding to wider bandwidths (20/40/80/160 MHz) increases peak rates. The MAC layer relies on CSMA/CA with enhancements for congestion control.

Security has evolved from WEP to newer protections such as WPA2 and WPA3, providing stronger encryption and authentication for modern WLANs.

Interoperability is ensured through the Wi‑Fi Alliance certification program, and devices bearing recognized marks are designed to work together. The 802.11 naming is often paired with marketing prefixes like Wi‑Fi 4/5/6/7 for public reference.

Today, 802.11 remains the foundation of most home, office, and public wireless networks, balancing speed, range, and efficiency across different use cases and regulatory environments.