Editing IEEE 802.11 (section)

{{Short description|Wireless network standard}}
{{redirect-distinguish|IEEE 802.11x|IEEE 802.1X}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

[[File:Linksys-Wireless-G-Router.jpg|thumb|This [[Linksys WRT54G series|Linksys WRT54GS]], a combined router and Wi‑Fi access point, operates using the 802.11g standard in the 2.4&nbsp;GHz [[ISM band]] using [[Data signaling rate|signalling rates]] up to 54&nbsp;Mbit/s.]]
[[Image:Wireless network.jpg|thumb|IEEE 802.11 Wi-fi networks are the most widely used wireless networks in the world, connecting devices like [[laptop]]s ''(left)'' to the internet through a wireless router ''(right)''.]]

'''IEEE 802.11''' is part of the [[IEEE 802]] set of [[local area network]] (LAN) [[technical standard]]s, and specifies the set of [[medium access control]] (MAC) and [[physical layer]] (PHY) protocols for implementing [[wireless local area network]] (WLAN) computer communication. The standard and amendments provide the basis for wireless network products using the [[Wi-Fi]] brand and are the world's most widely used wireless computer networking standards. IEEE 802.11 is used in most home and office networks to allow laptops, printers, smartphones, and other devices to communicate with each other and access the [[Internet]] without connecting wires. IEEE 802.11 is also a basis for vehicle-based communication networks with [[IEEE 802.11p]].

The standards are created and maintained by the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE) LAN/[[Metropolitan area network|MAN]] Standards Committee (IEEE 802). The base version of the standard was released in 1997 and has had subsequent amendments. While each amendment is officially revoked when it is incorporated in the latest version of the standard, the corporate world tends to market to the revisions because they concisely denote the capabilities of their products. As a result, in the marketplace, each revision tends to become its own standard. '''802.11x''' is a shorthand for "any version of 802.11", to avoid confusion with "802.11" used specifically for [[IEEE 802.11 (legacy mode)|the original 1997 version]].

IEEE 802.11 uses various frequencies including, but not limited to, 2.4&nbsp;GHz, 5&nbsp;GHz, 6&nbsp;GHz, and 60&nbsp;GHz frequency bands. Although IEEE 802.11 specifications list channels that might be used, the allowed [[radio frequency]] spectrum availability varies significantly by regulatory domain.

The protocols are typically used in conjunction with [[IEEE 802.2]], and are designed to interwork seamlessly with [[Ethernet]], and are very often used to carry [[Internet Protocol]] traffic.