IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless LANs(WLANs) Basics Introduction

IEEE 802.11 Basics Introduction

The IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless LANs(WLANs)results from s effort by leading scientists in the WLAN field.The project was initiated scope of the standard is to develop a Medium Access Control(MAC Layer(PHY) specification for wireless connectivity for fixed,portable ations within a local area.The purpose of the standard is two-folded:

• To provide wireless connectivity to automatic machinery,equipment,or stations
  that require rapid deployment,which may be portable,or hand held or which may
  be mounted on moving vehicles within a local area,and
  

• To offer a standard for use by regulatory bodies to standardize access to one or more frequency bands for the purpose of local area communication

More specifically,the standard:

• Describes the functions and services required by an IEEE 802.11 compliant
  device to operate within ad hoc and infrastructure networks as well as the aspects
  of station mobility(transition)within those networks
  

• Defines the MAC procedures to support the asynchronous MAC service data unit
  (MSDU)delivery services.
  

• Defines several PHY signaling techniques and interface functions that are
  controlled by the IEEE 802.11 MAC.
  

• Permits the operation of an IEEE 802.11 conformant device within a WLAN that
  may coexist with multiple overlapping IEEE 802.11 WLANs.
  

• Describes the requirements and procedures to provide privacy of user information being transferred over the Wireless Medium(WM)and authentication of IEEE 802.11 conformant devices