Editing IEEE 802.11 (section)

===Management frames===
Management frames are [[IEEE 802.11w-2009|not always authenticated]], and allow for the maintenance, or discontinuance, of communication. Some common 802.11 subtypes include:
* Authentication frame: 802.11 authentication begins with the [[wireless network interface controller]] (WNIC) sending an authentication frame to the access point containing its identity.
** When open system authentication is being used, the WNIC sends only a single authentication frame, and the access point responds with an authentication frame of its own indicating acceptance or rejection.
** When shared key authentication is being used, the WNIC sends an initial authentication request, and the access point responds with an authentication frame containing challenge text. The WNIC then sends an authentication frame containing the encrypted version of the challenge text to the access point. The access point confirms the text was encrypted with the correct key by decrypting it with its own key. The result of this process determines the WNIC's authentication status.
* Association request frame: Sent from a station, it enables the access point to allocate resources and synchronize. The frame carries information about the WNIC, including supported data rates and the [[SSID]] of the network the station wishes to associate with. If the request is accepted, the access point reserves memory and establishes an association ID for the WNIC.
* Association response frame: Sent from an access point to a station containing the acceptance or rejection to an association request. If it is an acceptance, the frame will contain information such as an association ID and supported data rates.
* [[Beacon frame]]: Sent periodically from an access point to announce its presence and provide the [[SSID]] and other parameters for WNICs within range.
* {{vanchor|Deauthentication frame}}: Sent from a station wishing to terminate connection from another station.
* Disassociation frame: Sent from a station wishing to terminate the connection. It is an elegant way to allow the access point to relinquish memory allocation and remove the WNIC from the association table.
* Probe request frame: Sent from a station when it requires information from another station.
* Probe response frame: Sent from an access point containing capability information, supported data rates, etc., after receiving a probe request frame.
* Reassociation request frame: A WNIC sends a reassociation request when it drops from the currently associated access point range and finds another access point with a stronger signal. The new access point coordinates the forwarding of any information that may still be contained in the buffer of the previous access point.
* Reassociation response frame: Sent from an access point containing the acceptance or rejection to a WNIC reassociation request frame. The frame includes information required for association such as the association ID and supported data rates.
* Action frame: extending management frame to control a certain action. Some of the action categories are QoS, Block Ack, Public,<!-- See [[Remote ID]] --> Radio Measurement, Fast BSS Transition, Mesh Peering Management, etc. These frames are sent by a station when it needs to tell its peer for a certain action to be taken. For example, a station can tell another station to set up a [[block acknowledgement]] by sending an ''ADDBA Request'' action frame. The other station would then respond with an ''ADDBA Response'' action frame.

The body of a management frame consists of frame-subtype-dependent fixed fields followed by a sequence of [[information element]]s (IEs).

The common structure of an IE is as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Field
| Type
| Length
| Data
|-
! Length
| 1
| 1
| 1–252
|}