Implementation 802 xx

The IEEE 802 Standard comprises a family of networking standards that cover the physical layer specifications of technologies from Ethernet to wireless. IEEE 802 is subdivided into 22 parts that cover the physical and data-link aspects of networking. The better known specifications (bold in table below) include 802.3 Ethernet, 802.11 Wi-Fi, 802.15 Bluetooth/ZigBee, and 802.16.

"Grandaddy" of the 802 specifications. Provides asynchronous networking using "carrier sense, multiple access with collision detect" (CSMA/CD) over coax, twisted-pair copper, and fiber media. Current speeds range from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps.

802.11 Wi-Fi Wireless LAN Media Access Control and Physical Layer specification. 802.11a,b,g,etc are amendments to the original 802.11 standard. Products that implement 802.11 standards must pass tests and are referred to as "Wi-Fi certified."

802.15 :

=> 802.15.1 Bluetooth Short range (10m) wireless technology for cordless mouse, keyboard, and hands-free headset at 2.4 GHz.

=> 802.15.4 ZigBee Short range wireless sensor networks

802.16 Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks This family of standards covers Fixed and Mobile Broadband Wireless Access methods used to create Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs.) Connects Base Stations to the Internet using OFDM in unlicensed (900 MHz, 2.4, 5.8 GHz) or licensed (700 MHz, 2.5 – 3.6 GHz) frequency bands. Products that implement 802.16 standards can undergo WiMAX certification testing.

All the 802.11 specifications use the Ethernet protocol and Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) for path sharing. The original modulation used in 802.11 was phase-shift keying (PSK). However, other schemes, such as complementary code keying (CCK), are used in some of the newer specifications. The newer modulation methods provide higher data speed and reduced vulnerability to interference.