[Latoya Stoudmire]

There are several different types of Wi-Fi standards. The first was introduced in 1997. In 1997 the IEEE (institute of electrical and electronic engineers) introduced IEEE 802.11. This standard speed was 2 Mbps. Shortly after the introduction of the IEEE 802.11 came the 802.11a the standard was used to assist with traffic interference with other devices on the frequency 2.4. 802.11a uses 5Ghz frequency. That same year 802.11b was developed but uses frequency 2.4Ghz. 802.11b is used in home settings and 802.11a is used in a commercial setting. In 2003 802.11g combined the features of 802.11a and 802.11b using frequency 2.4Ghz. 802.11n allowed for both 802.11a and 802.11b features to use frequencies 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz in 2009. In 2013 802.11ac standard operates on 5Ghz with a speed of 1.5 Gbps. 802.11n is the most commonly used standard in households today. The most advanced version is the 802.11ax this runs on Both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. This standard allows for 40% more traffic.

Asides from the Wi-Fi standards there are also Wi-Fi encryption standards. WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 are Wi-Fi security protocols that prevent unauthorized access and eavesdropping on wireless. WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy, it was introduced in 1997 with the 802.11. A 64–128-bit encryption is used to keep information confidential. The WEP uses static keys for encryption. The WPA is also known as Wi-Fi Protected Access. This type of encryption uses packets and has a dynamic key. WPA uses 128-bit encryptions and TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to ensure the data is encrypted. WPA2 and WPA3 are each updated and improved versions of WPA. The most current and secure version is WPA3 which uses a 256-bit encryption.

Šlekytė, I., & Šlekytė, I. (2024, September 22). WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3: Main differences | NordVPN. NordVPN. https://nordvpn.com/blog/wep-vs-wpa-vs-wpa2-vs-wpa3/

GeeksforGeeks. (2021, March 17). WiFi standards explained. GeeksforGeeks. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/wi-fi-standards-explained/