80211bg

802.11b/g refers to two IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN technologies that operate in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Devices marketed as 802.11b/g can support one or both standards, and these capabilities were widely deployed in Wi‑Fi networks starting in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The 802.11b standard provided basic wireless access with lower maximum speeds, while 802.11g offered higher throughput and greater efficiency.

802.11b uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) with CCK modulation, delivering data rates of 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps. 802.11g uses Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and supports up to 54 Mbps. Because 802.11g is backward compatible with 802.11b, networks can operate in mixed mode, allowing older b devices to connect while newer g devices benefit from higher speeds; however, performance can degrade to b speeds in mixed environments.

Both standards share the same 2.4 GHz radio band and typically use 20 MHz channels. In most regions, channels 1–11 are available in North America, with 1–13 common in Europe; channel overlap can cause interference in crowded environments. The 2.4 GHz band is susceptible to interference from other devices such as microwave ovens and Bluetooth, influencing real‑world performance and range.

Security in these networks has evolved from WEP to WPA and WPA2, with modern configurations favoring stronger encryption. While 802.11b/g are largely superseded by newer standards (such as 802.11n/ac/ax), many devices and networks retain mixed b/g support for compatibility, often operating in mixed mode with performance tradeoffs. See also 802.11 family and 802.11a.