[Addison West]

When discussing Wi-Fi, it’s important to understand both the standards and the encryption options that protect wireless networks. Wi-Fi standards, defined by the IEEE 802.11 family, determine the speed, range, and frequency of wireless communication. For example, older standards like 802.11b operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency with a maximum speed of 11 Mbps, while 802.11a uses 5 GHz for faster speeds but shorter range. More recent standards like 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax (also called Wi-Fi 6) improve both speed and efficiency, with 802.11ax capable of supporting up to 10 Gbps and performing well even in crowded network environments.

Encryption is another critical aspect of Wi-Fi because it protects data from unauthorized access. Older WEP encryption is now considered insecure and easily hacked. WPA improved security over WEP, and WPA2 is currently the most widely used, offering strong AES encryption in both personal and enterprise settings. The latest standard, WPA3, provides even stronger protections, including better defense against brute-force attacks and more secure connections on public networks.