Current wired ethernet networks in the united states are based on the ieee 802.11ac standard.

The IEEE 802.11 standard consists of a series of technological advances that have been developed over many years. Each new advancement is defined by an amendment to the standard that is identified by a one or two letter suffix to "802.11." The original 802.11 standard allowed up to 2 Mbps on only the 2.4-GHz band. 802.11b added new coding schemes to increase throughput to 6 Mbps. 802.11a added support on the 5-GHz band and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) coding schemes that increase throughput to 54 Mbps. 802.11g brought OFDM from 802.11a to the 2.4-GHz band. 802.11n added an assortment of high throughput advances to increase throughput roughly 10 times, such that high-end enterprise access points achieve signaling throughputs of 450 Mbps. The emerging 802.11ac standard promises to exceed 1 Gbps of throughput. The individual standards in use now are 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n (which uses a more advanced technology than the others). The newest standard, 802.11ac, is the newest and fastest standard.

The segment of the radio frequency spectrum used by 802.11 varies between countries.

Differences Between 802.11 Standards

The newer the 802.11 standard, the faster it is and the greater its capacity. The new 802.11ac specification will eventually enable multi-station WLAN throughput of 1 gigabit per second. Table 1 lists the differences between current 802.11 standards. The draft 802.11ac estimates are given in the last row of the table for comparison.

Table 1: Differences Between 802.11 Protocols

802.11 Protocol

Frequency Band Used

Bandwidth

Data Rate per Stream

n

Up to 4 streams of data

2.4-GHz

5-GHz

20 MHz

7.2 mbps

14.4 mbps, 21.7 mbps

28.9 mbps, 43.3 mbps

57.8 mbps, 65 mbps,

72.2 mbps

40 MHz

15 mbps, 30 mbps,

45 mbps, 60 mbps,

90 mbps, 120 mbps,

135 mbps, 150 mbps

g

1 stream of data

2.4-GHz

20 MHz

6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54

b

1 stream of data

2.4-GHz

20 MHz

1 mbps, 2 mbps, 5.5 mbps, 11 mbps

a

1 stream of data

5-GHz

3.7-GHz

20 MHz

6 mbps, 9 mbps, 12 mbps, 18 mbps, 24 mbps, 36 mbps, 48 mbps, 54 mbps

ac (draft)

Up to 8 streams of data

5- GHz

20 MHz

40 MHz

60 MHz

80 MHz

up to 87.6 mbps

up to 200 mbps

up to 433.3 mbps

up to 866.7 mbps

802.11ng and 802.11na are Juniper Networks terminology and not part of the 802.11 standard. It is simply Juniper Networks notation for indicating 802.11n use on the 2.4-GHz band (11ng) or 802.11n use on the 5-GHz band (11na).

802.11 Divides Each Frequency Band into Channels

802.11 divides each of the frequency bands listed in Table 1 into channels.

802.11 divides each frequency band into channels in a different way. For example the 2.4000-2.4835-GHz band is divided into 13 channels spaced 5 MHz apart. Channels 1, 6, and 11 were originally the only non-overlapping channels, but with the newer 802.11g standard there are now four non-overlapping channels—1, 5, 9 and 13. (There are now four because the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulated 802.11g channels are 20 MHz wide.)

Many countries, including US allow use of channels 1 - 11 only.

The amount of available spectrum for unlicensed use, which varies by country, in the 5-GHz band is much greater, and typical supports many more channels than in the 2.4-GHz band.

Availability of channels is regulated by country and can change. Japan permits the use of 14 channels in the 2.4-GHz band, while other countries such as Spain initially allowed the use of only channels 10 and 11. Europe and Asia now allow channels 1 through 13. North America and some Central and South American countries allow only channels 1 through 11.

What Is 802.11i Security?

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) are two security standards and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to address security issues found in Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). Where WPA encryption was specifically designed to work with some wireless devices that support WEP, while WPA2 encryption does not work on any device that supports only WEP. For more information about encryption, see Understanding Wireless Encryption and Ciphers .

What Is 802.1X?

802.1X is an authentication protocol supported by the 802.11 standards that enables mobile devices to be authenticated by username and password or by various types of credentials such as an X.509 certificate, or SIM in cellular phones. 802.1X authentication works in conjunction with an AAA server (typically RADIUS) that provides centralized authentication and user management.

Wi-Fi is a catch-all term. In a sense, it is very precise. It explains a specific method you can use to connect to the internet.

There are many different types of Wi-Fi standards. Your router, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and smart home devices use different wireless standards to connect to the internet. Wireless standards change every few years, too. Updates bring faster internet, better connections, more simultaneous connections, and so on.

The issue is that, for most people, the sheer litany of wireless standards and specifications is confusing. Here's the full rundown of Wi-Fi standards.

Wi-Fi Standards Explained

Wireless standards are a set of services and protocols that dictate how your Wi-Fi network (and other data transmission networks) acts.

The most common wireless standards you will encounter are the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN (WLAN) & Mesh. The IEEE updates the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard every few years. At the time of writing, the most commonly used Wi-Fi standard is 802.11ac, while the next generation Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax (also known as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi6E—but more on this in a moment!), is rolling out, albeit slower than most experts thought.

Now, the generation after 802.11ax is on the horizon, with IEEE 802.11be mooted for launch around 2024/2025 (using the name Wi-Fi 7).

A Brief History of Wireless Standards

Not all old Wi-Fi standards are obsolete. At least, not yet. Here is a brief history of Wi-Fi standards and whether the standard is still active.

• IEEE 802.11: The original! This now-defunct standard was created in 1997 and supported a blazing fast maximum connection speed of 54 megabits per second (Mbps). Devices using this haven't been made for over a decade and won't work with today's equipment.
• IEEE 802.11a: Created in 1999, this version of Wi-Fi works on the 5GHz band. This was done with the hope of encountering less interference since many devices (like most wireless phones) also use the 2.4GHz band. 802.11a is fairly quick, too, with maximum data rates topping out at 54Mbps. However, the 5GHz frequency has more difficulty with objects in the signal's path, so the range is often poor.
• IEEE 802.11b: Also created in 1999, this standard uses the more typical 2.4GHz band and can achieve a maximum speed of 11Mbps. 802.11b was the standard that kick-started Wi-Fi's popularity.
• IEEE 802.11g: Designed in 2003, the 802.11g standard upped the maximum data rate to 54Mbps while retaining use of the reliable 2.4GHz band. This resulted in the widespread adoption of the standard.
• IEEE 802.11n: Introduced in 2009, this version had slow initial adoption. 802.11n operates on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, as well as supporting multi-channel usage. Each channel offers a maximum data rate of 150Mbps, which means the standard's maximum data rate is 600Mbps.
• IEEE 802.11ac: The ac standard is what you will find most wireless devices using at the time of writing. Initially released in 2014, ac drastically increases the data throughput for Wi-Fi devices up to a maximum of 1,300 megabits per second. Furthermore, ac adds MU-MIMO support, additional Wi-Fi broadcast channels for the 5GHz band, and support for more antennas on a single router.
• IEEE 802.11ax: Next up for your router and your wireless devices is the ax standard. As 802.11ax completes its rollout, you will have access to theoretical network throughput of 10Gbps—around a 30-40 percent improvement over the ac standard. Furthermore, wireless ax will increase network capacity by adding broadcast subchannels, upgrading MU-MIMO, and allowing more simultaneous data streams.
• IEEE 802.11be: Although the specifications for 802.11be are yet to be finalized, its highly likely that this will become the successor to 802.11ax. As per the IEEE Xplore paper, 802.11be will deliver "doubled bandwidth and the increased number of spatial streams, which together provide data rates as high as 40 Gbps."

Can All Wi-Fi Standards Communicate?

Two devices using the same Wi-Fi standard can communicate without restriction. Issues arise, however, when you try to connect two devices that use different, potentially incompatible wireless standards.

• In recent times, your router and devices using 802.11ac can communicate happily.
• Devices that use 802.11b, g, and n can all communicate with an ac router.
• 11b cannot communicate with a, and vice versa.
• 11g cannot communicate with b, and vice versa.

The original 1997 standard (now known as 802.11 legacy) is now obsolete, while the a and b standards are nearing the end of their lifespan.

Legacy Wi-Fi Standards Firmware Issues

If you buy a new device, you make your purchase knowing that when you get it home, it will connect to your router. If you have an old router, using an old Wi-Fi standard, that isn't the case.

It is the same if you have a legacy device.

For instance, if you bring home a shiny new 802.11ac router to beam Wi-Fi to all of the dark recesses, it doesn't mean your old device can suddenly use the ac standard. You will receive some of the router's benefits, such as the range increase, but your connection is only as fast as the device's Wi-Fi standard.

If your device uses 802.11n, it will only connect and transmit using the n standard.

What Is Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 is the Wi-Fi Alliance's wireless standard naming system. The Wi-Fi Alliance argues that the 802.11 terminology is confusing for consumers. They are right; updating one or two letters doesn't give users much information to work with.

The Wi-Fi Alliance naming system runs concurrently with the IEEE 802.11 convention. Here's how the naming standards correlate:

• Wi-Fi 6E: 11ax (2021)
• Wi-Fi 6: 11ax (2019)
• Wi-Fi 5: 11ac (2014)
• Wi-Fi 4: 11n (2009)
• Wi-Fi 3: 11g (2003)
• Wi-Fi 2: 11a (1999)
• Wi-Fi 1: 11b (1999)
• Legacy: 11 (1997)

What Is Wi-Fi 6E?

Wi-Fi 6 became a widespread Wi-Fi standard throughout 2020. But by the end of 2020, another "new" standard was beginning to pick up the pace.

Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6. The update allows your Wi-Fi connection to broadcast over a new 6GHz band.

Previously, all Wi-Fi connections were restricted to two bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Those two frequency bands are busy, with each band broken down into smaller channels. For instance, if you live in an apartment building, you may have many Wi-Fi routers attempting to broadcast on the same frequency, using the same channel.

This doesn't mean your data is going to end up on your neighbor's computer. That's not how the modern packet-switching internet works. But it can cause Wi-Fi performance issues, especially in congested areas.

Wi-Fi 6E creates 14 new 80MHz channels and seven 160Mhz channels, drastically increasing available network capacity for users. Those users in dense, congested areas will have substantially more bandwidth available for use, reducing Wi-Fi interference. In short, Wi-Fi 6E effectively quadruples the amount of space available to your Wi-Fi connection.

So, when can you get your hands on a new Wi-Fi 6E router? The first few Wi-Fi 6E-equipped routers will begin appearing throughout 2021, with Netgear one of the first manufacturers to bring one to market.

Now Secure Your Wi-Fi Router While You Can

Upgrading your devices to the latest Wi-Fi standard has heaps of benefits, not least the speed increase. Upgrading your router is that little bit easier now you can differentiate between the various Wi-Fi standards.

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