Definitions for "IEEE 802.11"
Keywords:  fhss, dsss, ghz, csma, interoperable
The worldwide industry standard for wireless communications that allows for interoperability among 802.11-compliant equipment.
802.11 is a family of wireless networking standards developed by the IEEE, including 802.11a, 80211b, and 80211g. 802.11a provides up to 54 Mbps on the 5GHz band. 802.11b hits 11 Mbps in the 2.4GHz band and is backward-compatible with 802.11, the original specification. 802.11g, the most recently approved, provides over 20 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. It is compatible with 802.11b. Both 802.11b and 802.11g have effective ranges of about 300 feet; 802.11a's higher frequency limits its range to about 60 feet. Other standards in this family include 802.11e, 802.11h, and 802.11n.
The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard for wireless Ethernet networks. IEEE 802.11 applies to wireless LANs and provides 1 or 2 Mbps transmission in the 2.4 GHz band using either frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS).