ANDREW APPLING
IEEE STANDARDS
EET 282
2/26/2013
This paper is an attempt to better understand and classify current and future IEEE standards as it
relates to wireless fidelity devices.
Andrew Appling
2/26/13
EET282
IEEE Standards
Wireless standards are created and regulated by the IEEE. The Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc was created in 1973 as an organizational unit that outlines bylaws and
policies that support goals of the United States in areas that require technological guidance. The
following information will cover IEEE standards for technology, specifically technology as it
relates to WIFI function and WIFI devices. IEEE sets guidelines for wireless devices and their
function.
The IEEE 802.11 standard is primarily set as a relation of the speed that can be accessed
through the wireless device. For example:
IEEE STANDARD
802.11
802.11a
802.11b
802.11e
802.11F
802.11g
802.11h
802.11i
802.11n
802.11r
SPEED
2Mbps
54Mbps
11Mbps
54Mbps
5Ghz operation
300-600Mbps
-
802.11s
802.11v
-
802.16e
802.1q
802.1x
-
802.20
802.3af
-
SPECIAL FUNCTION
WLAN
WLAN – uses UNII band
WLAN – ISM band
Wireless QOS standard
Roaming Specifications
WLAN – ISM band
Specifies 5GHz device sharing
Standard to replace WEP
WLAN
Hand-off standard for mobile
clients
Wireless Mesh Standard
Protocol for WLAN
management
Mobile WIMAX standard
VLAN standard
Authentication and key
management
WIMAX standard W/15Km
roaming feature
POE (Power over Ethernet)
guidelines
Why are there so many standards?
Just think,
What would happen if we didn’t have standards for something simple, like driving an
automobile? If there were no standards; car makers could make any size car they want with
Andrew Appling
2/26/13
EET282
IEEE Standards
features that may not be safe to allow others to freely operate their vehicle on the roads. Think
about that, we would have a chaos of different vehicles all with different standards regulating
everything from size to tail light placement to what side of the road cars drive on. Using an
analogy like this one can see that we need some form of wireless standard to promote a clean,
regulated, and uniform wireless communication. Without standards we would have wireless
chaos, where devices would have a tough time communicating (if at all) and that’s where the
IEEE steps in.
What are the IEEE standards for?
IEEE standards cover a broad range of specific functions of electronic devices. The most
notable change the average consumer and user notices, is the speed changes between the
different IEEE standards. As technology progresses, new standards are needed to regulate and
control leading edge wireless communication devices. The specification sheet on a new device
will often list an IEEE standard that the device will function on. For instance a 802.11n, specifies
that the device is capable of operating at the IEEE speed (and other specification) listed for the
device, which is 300 to 600 Mbps. As new technology is introduced with faster speeds and
greater function an IEEE standard is typically introduced to regulate it.
Another difference in the 802.11 standards is the regulation of which band the wireless
device will operate on. As we can see from the chart; 802.11a and 802.11g are both capable of
running at 54Mbps speed. However, 802.11a regulated the use of the UNII band where as the
802.11g specification regulates the ISM band.
UNII band = The "Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure" band is defined by 47 CFR
15.407.
ISM band = The Industrial, Scientific and Medical radio bands are the industrial equivalent of
the "Citizens Band". No license is required, so long as only type approved equipment is
deployed. The main limitations are 1 Watt of output power, and only spread-spectrum
modulations are allowed. The amount of spectrum is limited, and each band eventually fills up,
forcing new users to higher bands. Wireless isp frequency bands. (2001, 10 26).
ISM / UNII Frequency Bands
Band
Freq. Range
Bandwidth
Max Power Max EIRP
ISM-900
902-928 MHz
26 MHz
1 Watt
ISM-2400
2400-2483.5 MHz 83.5 MHz
1 Watt
ISM-5800
5725-5850 MHz
1 Watt
125 MHz
4 Watt (+36 dBm)
4 Watt (+36 dBm) for PtMP, 200 W for
PtP)
200 W (+53 dBm)
Andrew Appling
2/26/13
EET282
IEEE Standards
UNII Indoor
5150-5250 MHz 100 MHz
UNII Low Power 5250-5350 MHz 100 MHz
UNII / ISM
5725-5825 MHz 100 MHz
Moonblink communication. (2012).
50 mW
250 mW
1 Watt
200 mW
1 Watt
200 Watt
We can see from this specification table of only 2 separate bands, that there are many
variables that need to be controlled to allow our wireless communication network to thrive today.
As time progresses we will continue to see new technologies, bands, speeds, and other forms of
IEEE regulation. Specifications are typically very dynamic with many controlled variables.
Speed and the future
As a consumer and user of wireless networks; the feature that most users are interested in
is speed. As technology develops, allowing faster speeds, ever increasing efficiency, and
security. Many users routinely upgrade as price and demand permits. On the edge of future
wireless technology, stands IEEE, working with manufacturers and research & development
teams to develop and integrate new product standards. One of the know future specifications is
802.11ac.
According to CISCO.com:
802.11ac is an evolutionary improvement to 802.11n. One of the goals of 802.11ac is to deliver
higher levels of performance that are commensurate with Gigabit Ethernet networking:
• Seemingly "instantaneous" data transfer experience
• A pipe fat enough that delivering high quality of experience (QoE) is straightforward
In the consumer space, the target is multiple channels of high-definition content delivered to all
areas of the house. The enterprise has different challenges:
• Delivering network with enterprise-class speeds and latencies
• High-density environments with scores of clients per AP
– Which are exacerbated by the BYOD trend such that one employee might carry two or even
three 802.11 devices and have them consuming network resources all at once
• The increased adoption of video streaming
802.11ac is about delivering an outstanding experience to each and every client served by an AP,
even under demanding loads.
Meanwhile 802.11 is integral to hugely broad range of devices, and some of them are highly
cost, power, or volume constrained. One antenna is routine for these devices, yet 802.11ac must
still deliver peak efficiency.
Andrew Appling
2/26/13
EET282
IEEE Standards
The one thing that 802.11ac has in its favor is the evolutionary improvement to silicon
technology over the past half-dozen years: channel bandwidths can be wider, constellations can
be denser, and APs can integrate more functionality.
The most notable improvement in 802.11ac is that the minimum allowed 802.11ac
product is 4.4× faster than the current 802.11n product. The mid-end and high-end products are
nearly 3× faster, reaching up to 1.3 Gbps data rates. Actual throughput will be a function of
MAC efficiency (rarely better than 70%) and the device capabilities at each end of the link. This
means that speed will be based on the allowed function of the user’s device and that this can vary
greatly depending on the quality of the user’s hardware. Many experts think that 802.11ac will
be the standard by 2015.
As you can see wireless fidelity users face an ever changing world of regulation, speeds
and specifications that will continue to mold the ways we communicate with our devices in the
future. Staying current and knowledgeable about IEEE specifications will help the user to make
an educated choice about which type of wireless device will work best for their desired
application.
Andrew Appling
2/26/13
EET282
IEEE Standards
References
Moonblink communication. (2012). Ism / unii frequency bands. Retrieved from
http://www.moonblinkwifi.com/ismunii.cfm
Wireless isp frequency bands. (2001, 10 26). Retrieved from http://www.beagleears.com/lars/engineer/wireless/bands.htm
CISCO. (2013). 802.11ac: The fifth generation of wi-fi technical white paper. Retrieved from
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/wireless/ps5678/ps11983/white_paper_c11713103.html