IEEE 802.11 represents a collection of standards governing wireless local area networks (WLAN), commonly recognized as Wi-Fi. IEEE 802.11 encompasses various individual standards.

The initial 802.11 standard was officially published in 1997. This standard offered data speeds of either 1 or 2 Mbit/s. It functions within the widely accessible 2.4 GHz frequency band, spanning from 2400 to 2483.5 MHz, which is available in nearly all parts of the world. To ensure robust data transmission, this standard employs either frequency hopping or coding, specifically direct sequence spread spectrum technology