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802 11 WiFi Wireless Standards and Facts PDF
802 11 WiFi Wireless Standards and Facts PDF
What is 802.11?
The 802.11 standards are a group of evolving specifications defined by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Commonly referred to as Wi‐Fi the 802.11 standards define a through‐the‐
air interface between a wireless client and a base station access point or between two or more wireless
clients. There are many other standards defined by the IEEE, such as the 802.3 Ethernet standard.
Why are standards important?
Standards are a set of specifications that all manufacturers must follow in order for their products to be
compatible. This is important to insure interoperability between devices in the market. Standards may
provide some optional requirements that individual manufacturers may or may not implement in their
products.
802.11b
In 1995, the Federal Communications Commission had allocated several bands of wireless spectrum for
use without a license. The FCC stipulated that the use of spread spectrum technology would be required
in any devices. In 1990, the IEEE began exploring a standard. In 1997 the 802.11 standard was ratified
and is now obsolete. Then in July 1999 the 802.11b standard was ratified. The 802.11 standard provides
a maximum theoretical 11 Megabits per second (Mbps) data rate in the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific and
Medical (ISM) band.
802.11g
In 2003, the IEEE ratified the 802.11g standard with a maximum theoretical data rate of 54 megabits per
second (Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. As signal strength weakens due to increased distance,
attenuation (signal loss) through obstacles or high noise in the frequency band, the data rate
automatically adjusts to lower rates (54/48/36/24/12/9/6 Mbps) to maintain the connection.
When both 802.11b and 802.11g clients are connected to an 802.11g router, the 802.11g clients will
have a lower data rate. Many routers provide the option of allowing mixed 802.11b/g clients or they
may be set to either 802.11b or 802.11g clients only.
To illustrate 54 Mbps, if you have DSL or cable modem service, the data rate offered typically falls from
768 Kbps (less than 1 Mbps) to 6 Mbps. Thus 802.11g offers an attractive data rate for the majority of
users. The 802.11g standard is backwards compatible with the 802.11b standard. Today 802.11g is still
the most commonly deployed standard.
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi‐Fi Standards and Facts Page 1
802.11a
Ratification of 802.11a took place in 1999. The 802.11a standard uses the 5 GHz spectrum and has a
maximum theoretical 54 Mbps data rate. Like in 802.11g, as signal strength weakens due to increased
distance, attenuation (signal loss) through obstacles or high noise in the frequency band, the data rate
automatically adjusts to lower rates (54/48/36/24/12/9/6 Mbps) to maintain the connection. The 5 GHz
spectrum has higher attenuation (more signal loss) than lower frequencies, such as 2.4 GHz used in
802.11b/g standards. Penetrating walls provides poorer performance than with 2.4 GHz. Products with
802.11a are typically found in larger corporate networks or with wireless Internet service providers in
outdoor backbone networks.
802.11n
In January, 2004 the IEEE 802.11 task group initiated work. There have been numerous draft
specifications, delays and lack of agreement among committee members. Yes, even in the process of
standards development, politics are involved. The Proposed amendment has now been pushed back to
early 2010. It should be noted it has been delayed many times already. Thus 802.11n is only in draft
status. Therefore, it is possible that changes could be made to the specifications prior to final
ratification.
The goal of 802.11n is to significantly increase the data throughput rate. While there are a number of
technical changes, one important change is the addition of multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) and
spatial multiplexing. Multiple antennas are used in MIMO, which use multiple radios and thus more
electrical power.
802.11n will operate on both 2.4 GHz (802.11b/b) and 5 GHz (802.11a) bands. This will require
significant site planning when installing 802.11n devices. The 802.11n specifications provide both 20
MHz and 40 MHz channel options versus 20 MHz channels in 802.11a and 802.11b/g standards. By
bonding two adjacent 20 MHz channels, 802.11n can provide double the data rate in utilization of 40
MHz channels. However, 40 MHz in the 2.4 GHz band will result in interference and is not recommended
nor likely which inhibits data throughput in the 2.4 GHz band. It is recommended to use 20 MHz
channels in the 2.4 GHz spectrum like 802.11b/g utilizes. For best results of 802.11n, the 5 GHz spectrum
will be the best option. Deployment of 802.11n will take some planning effort in frequency and channel
selection. Some 5 GHz channels must have dynamic frequency selection (DFS) technology implemented
in order to utilize those particular channels.
Another consideration of 802.11n is the significantly increased electrical power demand in comparison
to the current 802.11b/g or 802.11a products. This is primarily due to multiple transmitters.
The Wi‐Fi Alliance is testing and certifying compatibility of 802.11n radio draft 2.0 specifications. There
are several realities to consider. They are only testing against some basic criteria and interoperability
points. Also the number of devices being tested against each other is low. This certification does not
provide any protection against changes to the 802.11n standard prior to ratification.
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi‐Fi Standards and Facts Page 2
VHT
An IEEE working group has been working on efforts for the successor to 802.11n in the last one year.
This effort is known as Very High Throughput (VHT) and focuses on changing 802.11 to support 1 Gigabit
per second (Gbps) wireless LAN standard.
Which wireless standard, 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11n should I buy?
Today, you will find the stores full of draft‐802.11n products. The estimates show that 94% of the buyers
of these products are consumers or small businesses, who frankly don’t know about standards issues.
The majority of enterprise or corporate users are not investing into these draft products. At issue is both
the possibility of these products not being compliant with any final standards and the desire not to
suffer potential headaches until the technology is fully ready. Interestingly technical writers for trade
journals or the press tend to promote heavily 802.11n despite the fact that AIR802 has polled its
customers in the USA and in other countries with over 98% reporting that they have no interest in
802.11n until the standard is ratified and the technology and products have been proven. For reference,
the majority of AIR802 customers are government agencies; value added resellers, computer
networking companies (installing wireless products in both residential and small business
environments), consumers and distributors. Therefore, it appears that most buyers have taken a very
cautious wait and see approach despite optimistic editorial articles.
For the majority of residential and small and medium size business users, the single largest concern
among users is to provide the desired signal coverage followed by reliability. For these users current
802.11b/g products with high RF power output would provide the most desirable results. The common
consumer equipment found in retail stores have between 30 to 65 mW of RF output power. However,
within the same general price range, equipment with 250 mW of RF output power or higher can be
purchased. In comparison tests, high power 802.11b/g routers provide significantly greater distance and
coverage and as a result higher throughput than any typical lower powered 802.11b/g or 802.11n draft
product in the market. For most users more data throughput is not a critical decision factor. If the
wireless network is being used for Internet access and the DSL or cable modem service, which is typically
less than 1 Mbps to 6 Mbps depending on the service provider or plan, the typical 25 Mbps data
throughput on a high RF powered 802.11b/g device is more than sufficient. In fact today, thousands of
networks supporting IP video surveillance are being put into place where streaming compressed video is
carried over 802.11g or 802.11a networks. The reality is that 802.11b/g equipment will be in use for
many, many years. Today, the bulk of equipment manufactured and sold to wireless professionals is still
802.11b/g.
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi‐Fi Standards and Facts Page 3
For those few who in the near future absolutely need higher data throughput for a particular
application, then 802.11n might be a consideration. The 802.11n standard has been expected to provide
data throughput of 100 Mbps or greater. However, real world tests, where building materials and
existence of other wireless signals in the frequency band have resulted in data throughput rates of as
low as 26 Mbps. There is also the risk of the product being outdated in a year should the specifications
change through the IEEE working group. Thus the actual performance just might not be any better or
much better than a high RF powered 802.11b/g device.
If frequency interference and congestion is a significant factor, then 802.11a should be considered.
However, not all client cards in computers, etc. have 802.11a capability and this should be evaluated
carefully.
In summary, most consumers or small businesses would be better off without any doubt with an high RF
powered 802.11b/g device for the foreseeable future.
Comparison of 802.11 LAN Standards
Standard Maximum Typical Operating Maximum Non‐
Data Rate Throughput Frequency Overlapping
(Mbps) (Mbps) Band Channels
(Americas)
802.11b 11 6.5 2.4 GHz 3 *1
802.11g 54 8 (Mixed b/g) 2.4 GHz 3 *1
25 (Only 802.11g)
802.11a 54 25 5 GHz 24 (20 MHz channels)
12 (40 MHz channels)
802.11n 248 74 *2 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz *3
*1 – Channels 1, 6 and 11 are the three non‐overlapping channels in the Americas. Each channel is 20
MHz wide.
*2 – Actual throughput will depend upon various factors such as the manufacturer and model,
environmental factors, whether 20 MHz or 40 MHz channels are utilized, if security is enabled and
whether all clients are 802.11n or a mix of 802.11a/g/n.
*3 – For 802.11n, in the 2.4 GHz band, there are three non‐overlapping 20 MHz channels or one 40 MHz
channel. The use of 40 MHz is not desirable or practical in the 2.4 GHz band. However, a single 20 MHz
channel could be used with lower throughput, largely defeating the gain of using 802.11n. In the 5 GHz
band, twenty four non‐overlapping 20 MHz or up to twelve 40 MHz channels exist.
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi‐Fi Standards and Facts Page 4
IEEE 802.11b/g Channel Assignments
Channel Frequency Band Channel Center FCC – Americas ETSI (Europe)
(GHz) Frequency (GHz)
1 2.401‐2.423 2.412 X X
2 2.406‐2.428 2.417 X X
3 2.411‐2.433 2.422 X X
4 2.416‐2.438 2.427 X X
5 2.421‐2.443 2.432 X X
6 2.426‐2.448 2.437 X X
7 2.431‐2.453 2.442 X X
8 2.436‐2.458 2.447 X X
9 2.441‐2.463 2.452 X X
10 2.446‐2.468 2.457 X X
11 2.451‐2.473 2.462 X X
12 2.456‐2.478 2.467 ‐ X
13 2.461‐2.483 2.472 ‐ X
14 2.473‐2.495 2.484 ‐ ‐
• In the America’s, with channels 1 through 11, there are three non‐overlapping channels: 1, 6
and 11.
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi‐Fi Standards and Facts Page 5
IEEE 802.11a Channel Assignments
Channel Center Frequency Americas ETSI Permitted Use Other
(MHz) (Europe) Location Comments
34 5170 ‐ ‐ ‐
36 5180 X X Indoor
38 5190 ‐ ‐ ‐
40 5200 X X Indoor
42 5210 ‐ ‐ ‐
44 5220 X X Indoor
46 5230 ‐ ‐ ‐
48 5240 X X Indoor
52 5260 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
56 5280 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
60 5300 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
64 5320 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
100 5500 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
104 5520 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
108 5540 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
112 5560 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
116 5580 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
120 5600 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
124 5620 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
128 5640 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
132 5660 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
136 5680 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
140 5700 X X Indoor or Outdoor DFS Required
149 5745 X ‐ Typical Outdoor
153 5765 X ‐ Typical Outdoor
157 5785 X ‐ Typical Outdoor
161 5805 X ‐ Typical Outdoor
165 5825 X ‐ Typical Outdoor
• Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) is mandatory in the America’s and the European (ETSI)
market. Access Points (APs) must constantly monitor the frequency for radar presence. If the AP
detects radar, it is required to cease all transmissions within the required time frame and
dynamically move to another channel.
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi‐Fi Standards and Facts Page 6