WLAN Standards
Within the IEEE 802.11 Working Group[3], the following IEEE Standards Association Standard and Amendments exist:
  • IEEE 802.11 - THE WLAN STANDARD was original 1 Mbit/s and 2 Mb/s, 2.4 GHz RF and IR standard (1997), all the others listed below are Amendments to this standard, except for Recommended Practices 802.11F and 802.11T.
  • IEEE 802.11a - 54 Mbit/s, 5 GHz standard (1999, shipping products in 2001)
  • IEEE 802.11b - Enhancements to 802.11 to support 5.5 and 11 Mb/s (1999)
  • IEEE 802.11c - Bridge operation procedures; included in the IEEE 802.1D standard (2001)
  • IEEE 802.11d - International (country-to-country) roaming extensions (2001)
  • IEEE 802.11e - Enhancements: QoS, including packet bursting (2005)
  • IEEE 802.11F - Inter-Access Point Protocol (2003) Withdrawn February 2006
  • IEEE 802.11g - 54 Mb/s, 2.4 GHz standard (backwards compatible with b) (2003)
  • IEEE 802.11h - Spectrum Managed 802.11a (5 GHz) for European compatibility (2004)
  • IEEE 802.11i - Enhanced security (2004)
  • IEEE 802.11j - Extensions for Japan (2004)
  • IEEE 802.11k - Radio resource measurement enhancements (proposed - 2007?)
  • IEEE 802.11l - (reserved and will not be used)
  • IEEE 802.11m - Maintenance of the standard; odds and ends. (ongoing)
  • IEEE 802.11n - Higher throughput improvements using MIMO (multiple input, multiple output antennas) (pre-draft - 2009?)
  • IEEE 802.11o - (reserved and will not be used)
  • IEEE 802.11p - WAVE - Wireless Access for the Vehicular Environment (such as ambulances and passenger cars) (working - 2009?)
  • IEEE 802.11q - (reserved and will not be used, can be confused with 802.1Q VLAN trunking)
  • IEEE 802.11r - Fast roaming Working "Task Group r" - 2007?
  • IEEE 802.11s - ESS Extended Service Set Mesh Networking (working - 2008?)
  • IEEE 802.11T - Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) - test methods and metrics Recommendation (working - 2008?)
  • IEEE 802.11u - Interworking with non-802 networks (for example, cellular) (proposal evaluation - ?)
  • IEEE 802.11v - Wireless network management (early proposal stages - ?)
  • IEEE 802.11w - Protected Management Frames (early proposal stages - 2008?)
  • IEEE 802.11x - (reserved and will not be used, can be confused with 802.1x Network Access Control)
  • IEEE 802.11y - 3650-3700 Operation in the U.S. (early proposal stages - ?)

There is no standard or task group named "802.11x". Rather, this term is used informally to denote any current or future 802.11 amendment, in cases where further precision is not necessary. (The IEEE 802.1x standard for port-based network access control, is often mistakenly called "802.11x" when used in the context of wireless networks.)

802.11F and 802.11T are stand-alone documents, rather than amendments to the 802.11 standard and are capitalized as such.

IEEE Standards organisation
IEEE 802.11 also known by the brand Wi-Fi, denotes a set of Wireless LAN/WLAN standards developed by working group 11 of the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802). The term 802.11x is also used to denote this set of standards and is not to be mistaken for any one of its elements. There is no single 802.11x standard. The term IEEE 802.11 is also used to refer to the original 802.11, which is now sometimes called "802.11 legacy".

802.11™ Working Group for Wireless Local Area Networks
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is the leading developer of global industry standards in a broad-range of industries, including:
  • Power and Energy
  • Biomedical and Healthcare
  • Information Technology
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation
  • Nanotechnology
  • Information Assurance
For over a century, the IEEE-SA has offered an established standards development program that features balance, openness, due process, and consensus.

The IEEE leads the way in developing open, leading-edge consensus standards for Wireless Local Area Networks (Wireless LANs or WLAN), Wireless Personal Area Networks (Wireless PANs), and Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (Wireless MANs). The IEEE 802.11 specifications are wireless standards that specify an "over-the-air" interface between a wireless client and a base station or access point, as well as among wireless clients. The 802.11 standards can be compared to the IEEE 802.3™ standard for Ethernet for wired LANs. The IEEE 802.11 specifications address both the Physical (PHY) and Media Access Control (MAC) layers and are tailored to resolve compatibility issues between manufacturers of Wireless LAN equipment.

For more information, visit the IEEE 802.11 Working Group website or contact the Working Group Chair, Stuart J. Kerry.

Summary table