Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
frequency bands (that is 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz) to make it clear which products work with
thedevice.Currently,theAlliancehascertifiedproductsthatmeetthefinalversionsofthe
802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards in 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
The Wi-Fi Alliance currently uses a color-coded certification label to indicate the stand-
ard(s) supported by a particular device.
Figure 17.2
shows the most common versions of
the label, along with the official IEEE standard(s) that the label corresponds to: 802.11a
(orange background); 802.11b (dark blue background); 802.11g (lime green background);
802.11n (violet background).
Figure 17.2
The Wi-Fi Alliance's certification labels for Wi-Fi-compliant 802.11 hardware.
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz band-compliant, also known as Wireless-B) wireless net-
works run at a maximum speed of 11Mbps, about the same as 10BASE-T Ethernet (the
original version of IEEE 802.11 supported data rates up to 2Mbps only). 802.11b net-
workscanconnecttoconventionalEthernetnetworksorbeusedasindependentnetworks,
similar to other wireless networks. Wireless networks running 802.11b hardware use the
same 2.4GHz spectrum that many portable phones, wireless speakers, security devices,
