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