ABSTRACT
The IEEE ratified the original 802.11 specification in 1997 as the standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs). That version of 802.11 provides for 1-and 2-Mbps data rates and a set of fundamental signaling methods and other services. Some disadvantages in the original 802.11 standard are the data rates that are too slow to support most general business requirements. Recognizing the critical need to support higher data transmission rates, the IEEE ratified the 802.11b standard for transmissions of up to 11 Mbps. With 802.11b (also known as WiFi), WLANs are able to achieve wireless performance and throughput compared to wired 10-Mbps Ethernet. 802.11a offers speeds of up to 54Mbps, but runs in the 5-GHz band; so, products based on this standard are not compatible with those based on 802.11b.[1] Several task groups are working on further developments for the 802.11 standard, as shown in Table 1.
