80211familjen

The 802.11 family of standards, commonly known as Wi-Fi, refers to a set of specifications for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 working group. These standards define the physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layers of the OSI model, enabling devices to communicate wirelessly over short distances.

The first 802.11 standard was released in 1997, offering a data rate of 1 or 2 megabits per second. Subsequent revisions have significantly increased speeds and introduced new features. Notable members of the 802.11 family include 802.11b, which operated in the 2.4 GHz band and offered speeds up to 11 Mbps, and 802.11a, which used the 5 GHz band for speeds up to 54 Mbps.

Later standards like 802.11g combined the reach of 2.4 GHz with the speed of 802.11a. 802.11n, also known as Wi-Fi 4, introduced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology for greater throughput and range. 802.11ac, or Wi-Fi 5, further enhanced speeds using wider channels and more advanced MIMO techniques. The most recent widely adopted standard, 802.11ax, branded as Wi-Fi 6, focuses on improved efficiency and performance in crowded environments, along with higher peak data rates. Future iterations, such as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), continue to push the boundaries of speed, latency, and capacity. The 802.11 family is the foundation for modern wireless networking, connecting billions of devices worldwide.