An IEEE standard for a wireless network that operates at 5 GHz with rates up to 54Mbps.
Glossary
802.11a
802.11b
An IEEE standard for a wireless network that operates at 2.4 GHz with rates up to 11Mbps.
802.11d
An IEEE specification that allows for configuration changes at the Media Access Control layer (MAC layer) level to comply with the rules of the country in which the network is to be used. (See MAC).
802.11e
An IEEE standard that adds Quality of Service (QoS) features and multimedia support to the existing 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a wireless networks. (See QoS, WMM).
802.11g
An IEEE standard for a wireless network that operates at 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with rates up to 54Mbps.
802.11h
802.11h supports Dynamic Frequency Selection(DFS) and Transmit Power Control(TPC) requirements to ensure coexistence between Wi-Fi and other types of radio frequency devices in the 5 GHz band.
802.11i
An IEEE standard specifying security mechanisms for 802.11 networks. 802.11i makes use of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) block cipher. The standard also includes improvements in key management, user authentication through 802.1X and data integrity of headers. (See 802.1X, AES, WPA2).
802.11j
An IEEE specification for wireless networks that incorporates Japanese regulatory requirements concerning wireless transmitter output power, operational modes, channel arrangements and spurious emission levels.
802.11n
A taskgroup of the IEEE 802.11 committee whose goal is to define a standard for high throughput speeds of at least 100Mbps on wireless networks. The standard is expected to be ratified by 2007. Some proposals being fielded by the taskgroup include designs for up to 540 Mbps. Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, using multiple receivers and multiple transmitters in both the client and access point to achieve improved performance is expected to form the basis of the final specification. (See Mbps, MIMO).
802.1X
A standard for port-based authentication, first used in wired networks, that was adapted for use in enterprise WLANs to address security flaws in WEP, the original security specification for 802.11 networks. 802.1X provides a framework for authenticating users and controlling their access to a protected network and dynamic encryption keys to protect data privacy. (See EAP, WEP, WPA, WPA2).
802.3
The standard defining wired Ethernet networks. (See Ethernet).