IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for wireless networking, commonly known as Wi-Fi, which is used in a variety of applications, from home networks to large-scale enterprise networks. This set of standards defines how wireless networks should be structured, enabling all compatible devices to communicate with each other. In addition, IEEE 802.11 also defines a large number of acronyms and abbreviations associated with the various elements of the standard.
One of the most commonly used acronyms is “802.11ac”. This is the fifth generation of the standard, which was ratified in 2013. This generation of the standard is an improvement on the previous one, IEEE 802.11n, offering greater data rates and wider coverage. The “ac” stands for “Enhanced throughput” and the standard can theoretically provide speeds of up to 1.3 Gbps. To achieve these speeds, the standard uses a wider bandwidth than previous generations, with support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies.
Another acronym that is used often is “MIMO”. This stands for “Multiple Input Multiple Output”, and refers to the use of multiple antennas to transmit and receive data. These antennas help to increase throughput and also provide better signal strength. By using multiple antennas, the data rate can be increased by four or more times compared to using a single antenna.
Another acronym used often is “WPA2”. This is short for “Wireless Protected Access 2”, which is a security protocol used to keep wireless traffic secure. It is based on 802.11i, which is a predecessor of WPA2. WPA2 is the most widely used security protocol for home networks, and also supports enterprise-level security.
Finally, there is the acronym “DFS”. This stands for “Dynamic Frequency Selection”, which is a feature of IEEE 802.11ac. It allows a network to switch between different frequencies, avoiding interference caused by other Wi-Fi networks. By using DFS, the throughput can be improved, as the network does not have to share a single frequency with other networks.
These are just some of the acronyms used in IEEE 802.11 that are worth knowing. While these acronyms may seem long and confusing at first, a little bit of research can help to decipher their meanings. Knowing the meaning of these acronyms can help to understand what features a wireless network is capable of, as well as its security features. Understanding the IEEE 802.11 standards can mean the difference between having a secure and reliable wireless network and one that is prone to performance issues and security issues.
AES – Advanced Encryption Standard
AID – Association Identifier
AP – Access Point
BS – Base Station
BSS – Basic Service Set
BSSID – Basic Service Set Identifier
CCA – Clear Channel Assessment
CCMP – Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol
CTS – Clear to Send
DS Distribution System
EAP Extensible Authentication Protocol
FAST Flexible Authentication via Secure Tunneling
ESS Extended Service Set
FMS Fluhrer, Mantin, Shamir
ICV Integrity Check Value
ISM Industrial, Scientific, Medical
IV Initialization Vector
LEAP Lightweight EAP
MAC Message Authenticity Check
MAC Media Access Control
MIC Message Integrity Check
NAV Network Allocation Vector
OUI Organizationally Unique Identifier
PEAP Protected EAP
PMK Pairwise Master Key
PRGA Pseudo-Random Generation Algorithm
PSK Pre-Shared Key
PSPF Publicly Switched Packet Forwarding
PTK Pairwise Temporal Key
PTK Pairwise Temporal Key
RF Radio Frequency
RFMON – Radio Frequency Monitoring
RSSI – Received Signal Strength Indicator
RTS – Request to Send
SNR Signal to Noise Ratio
SS Subscriber Station
SSID Service Set Identifier
STA Station
TIM – Traffic Indication Map
TKIP Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
TLS – Transport Layer Security
TTLS – Tunneled TLS
WDS – Wireless Distribution System
WEP – Wired Equivalence Privacy
WIDS – Wireless Intrusion Detection System
WPA – WiFi Protected Access
WZC – Wireless Zero Config