Overview

IEEE 802.11 - The standard for wireless networking

Also referenced as a generation

• 802.11ac is Wi-Fi 5
• 802.11ax is Wi-Fi 6 and is Wi-Fi 6E (extended)
• 802.11be is Wi-Fi 7

Frequencies used

• 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, or a combination
• IEEE numbered groups of frequencies called channels
  • Using non-overlapping channels is optimal
• The amount of frequency in use is the bandwidth
  • 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz

Band Steering

Many frequencies to choose from, but not all are optimal.

Some devices may only use one frequency while other may have a choice.

Access points can be set up with band steering, which allows us to specify how users may be able to use the frequencies in the best way.

• e.g. If there is a device that can communicate over 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, we can force it to use 5 GHz by configuring our AP with band steering

802.11h

Adds interoperability features to 802.11

The ITU creates guidelines that Wi-Fi complies with. These guidelines are now a part of the 802.11 standard

DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) Allows access points to automatically choose unused frequencies to avoid frequency conflicts

If the access points changes channels, it will tell all devices connected to it to move with it

TPC (Transmit Power Control) The access point determines the power output of the client. In effect, all clients can be transmitting at the optimal level to avoid conflicts.

This helps avoid conflict with satellite services