| 802.11-1997 | Base Standard | 1997 | PHY | Defines three original PHYs: FHSS, DSSS, and Infrared. CSMA/CA MAC. 1 and 2 Mbps only. | Superseded. Foundation of all later amendments. |
| 802.11c | MAC Bridging Procedures | 1998 (folded into 802.1D) | Bridging | Bridge operation procedures for 802.11 frames. Content merged into IEEE 802.1D bridging standard rather than published as standalone amendment. | Historic. Rarely referenced; exists inside 802.1D. |
| 802.11b | High Rate DSSS | 1999 | PHY | Adds HR-DSSS PHY (CCK). 5.5 and 11 Mbps. Backward compatible with 802.11 DSSS. | Still found in legacy devices. Rolled into 802.11-2007. |
| 802.11a | OFDM (5 GHz) | 1999 | PHY | Introduces OFDM PHY in 5 GHz. 6-54 Mbps. Not compatible with 2.4 GHz 802.11b. | Foundation for all modern OFDM-based standards. |
| 802.11d | International Roaming | 2001 | Regulatory | Allows APs to advertise country codes and permitted channels/power levels. Enables regulatory domain auto-detection. | Essential for multi-country device certification. Rolled into 802.11-2007. |
| 802.11g | ERP-OFDM (2.4 GHz) | 2003 | PHY | Brings OFDM to 2.4 GHz. 6-54 Mbps. Adds CTS-to-Self and RTS/CTS protection for 802.11b coexistence. | Widely deployed era; all 2.4 GHz devices support ERP. |
| 802.11h | DFS + TPC (5 GHz) | 2003 | Regulatory | Mandatory for Europe: Dynamic Frequency Selection (radar avoidance) and Transmit Power Control in 5 GHz. | Prerequisite for 5 GHz certification in ETSI regions. DFS now global. |
| 802.11F | Inter-Access Point Protocol (IAPP) | 2003 (Trial-Use) | Roaming | Recommended practice for AP-to-AP handoff context transfer over the DS (roaming context, security context). | WITHDRAWN 2006. Replaced in practice by vendor protocols and 802.11r. Capital F = recommended practice, not amendment. |
| 802.11i | WPA2 / RSN | 2004 | Security | Defines Robust Security Network (RSN). Introduces CCMP (AES-based) encryption. Replaces WEP/TKIP. | Basis of WPA2. All modern certified devices must support 802.11i RSN. |
| 802.11j | Japan 4.9/5 GHz | 2004 | Regulatory | Extends 802.11a to 4.9 GHz and 5.0 GHz for Japan public safety and licensed use. | Japan-specific. Rarely seen outside Japanese public safety networks. |
| 802.11e | QoS / WMM | 2005 | QoS | Adds EDCA (CSMA-CA with differentiated backoff) and HCCA. Defines four access categories: VO/VI/BE/BK. | Basis for Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) certification. Critical for VoIP and video. |
| 802.11-2007 (TGma) | Maintenance Roll-up | 2007 | Roll-up | Consolidates base + a/b/d/e/g/h/i/j into a single document. | Roll-ups renumber clauses - cite the roll-up year when quoting clause numbers. |
| 802.11k | RRM | 2008 | Management | Radio Resource Measurement. Enables STAs to report neighbor AP lists, channel load, noise histograms to the AP. | Foundation for smart roaming decisions. Works with 802.11r and 802.11v (the 'Triple K'). |
| 802.11r | Fast BSS Transition | 2008 | Roaming | Pre-derives Pairwise Master Keys at neighboring APs for fast re-association without full 802.1X re-auth. Enables <50 ms roam. | Essential for enterprise voice/video. Part of 802.11-2012. |
| 802.11y | 3650-3700 MHz (USA) | 2008 | Spectrum | Light-licensed operation in US 3.65 GHz band. Adds Contention Based Protocol (CBP) and extended channel switch announcement. | Superseded in relevance by CBRS (3.5 GHz, LTE/5G). Historic. |
| 802.11n | HT / Wi-Fi 4 | 2009 | PHY | MIMO (up to 4×4), 40 MHz channels, A-MPDU/A-MSDU aggregation, STBC, LDPC. Up to 600 Mbps. | Transformational: first multi-antenna standard. Still extremely common. |
| 802.11w | Protected Mgmt Frames | 2009 | Security | Encrypts and authenticates management frames (deauth, disassoc, action) to prevent deauth attacks. | Mandatory in WPA3. Prevents many legacy Wi-Fi attack vectors. |
| 802.11p | WAVE / V2X | 2010 | V2X | Defines Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and V2I comms at 5.9 GHz. | Basis of DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Comms). Being supplemented by C-V2X. |
| 802.11z | Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) | 2010 | MAC | STA-to-STA direct link set up transparently through the AP (setup frames tunneled as data). Direct path can use wider BW/higher MCS than AP link. | Used by Miracast and some P2P video use cases. Wireshark: eapol/TDLS action frames, ethertype 0x890D. |
| 802.11s | Mesh Networking | 2011 | Mesh | Defines Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP) for self-forming, self-healing mesh networks (802.11 Mesh BSS). | Basis of many vendor mesh implementations; also used in Thread/OpenThread inspiration. |
| 802.11u | Interworking / Hotspot 2.0 | 2011 | Management | Enables devices to discover network capabilities before associating. Basis for Passpoint (Hotspot 2.0) and carrier Wi-Fi offload. | Critical for seamless cellular offload and venue Wi-Fi. Uses ANQP protocol. |
| 802.11v | BSS Transition Mgmt | 2011 | Roaming | Allows APs to send BSS transition requests to clients, directing them to better APs. Enables load balancing. | Completes the roaming trio (k/r/v). Widely implemented in enterprise APs. |
| 802.11ad | WiGig / 60 GHz | 2012 | PHY | Defines SC and OFDM PHYs in 60 GHz for multi-Gbps short-range (dock, kiosk, VR). Up to ~7 Gbps. | Very short range (~10 m); requires LOS. Basis of WiGig. |
| 802.11aa | Robust Audio Video Transport Streaming | 2012 | QoS | GCR (Groupcast with Retries) for reliable multicast, Stream Classification Service (SCS), intra-AC prioritization, OBSS management for AV. | GCR block-ack multicast appears in enterprise APs for multicast video. Basis for parts of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED features. |
| 802.11ae | Prioritization of Management Frames (QMF) | 2012 | QoS | QoS Management Frame (QMF) service - allows management frames to be sent using EDCA access categories rather than always highest priority. | Niche; some enterprise implementations. Reduces mgmt-frame airtime abuse in dense networks. |
| 802.11-2012 (TGmb) | Maintenance Roll-up | 2012 | Roll-up | Adds k/n/p/r/s/u/v/w/y/z into consolidated standard. | - |
| 802.11ac | VHT / Wi-Fi 5 | 2013 | PHY | Up to 8×8 MIMO, 160/80+80 MHz channels, 256-QAM, MU-MIMO DL, beamforming. Up to 6.93 Gbps. | Major enterprise/consumer upgrade. 5 GHz only. |
| 802.11af | TV White Space | 2014 | Spectrum | Allows Wi-Fi operation in vacant TV broadcast channels (54-790 MHz) using database-driven spectrum access. | 'Super Wi-Fi'. Requires geo-location + database query. Limited deployment. |
| 802.11ah | HaLow / Sub-1 GHz | 2016 | PHY | Sub-1 GHz Wi-Fi for IoT. Very long range (1 km+), low power. Narrow channels (1-16 MHz). Up to ~347 Mbps. | Growing IoT adoption for smart metering, agriculture, industrial. |
| 802.11ai | Fast Initial Link Setup | 2016 | Management | Reduces initial association time via FILS Authentication. Pre-associated state caching. Target: <100 ms. | Important for high-density venues where many devices associate simultaneously. |
| 802.11-2016 (TGmc) | Maintenance Roll-up | 2016 | Roll-up | Adds ac/ad/ae/aa/af. TGmc also defined FTM (Fine Timing Measurement) - industry calls it "802.11mc FTM" (basis of Android Wi-Fi RTT). | FTM origin - precursor of 802.11az. |
| 802.11ak | General Links (GLK) | 2018 | Bridging | Enables 802.11 links to act as transit links inside 802.1Q bridged networks (per-VLAN, per-TID transit). | Targeted at industrial / bridged topologies. Rare in enterprise WLAN. |
| 802.11aq | Pre-Association Discovery (PAD) | 2018 | Management | Service discovery before association (extends 802.11u/ANQP): discover services (printing, media) advertised by network without associating. | Complements Hotspot 2.0 / Passpoint. Limited client adoption. |
| 802.11aj | China Millimeter Wave (CMMW) | 2018 | PHY | Adaptation of 802.11ad for China 59-64 GHz and 45 GHz bands. | China-specific; rarely encountered elsewhere. |
| 802.11-2020 (TGmd) | Maintenance Roll-up | 2020 | Roll-up | Adds ah/ai/aj/ak/aq. Current most-cited baseline document. | Most clause references in this workbook use 802.11-2020 numbering. |
| 802.11ax | HE / Wi-Fi 6/6E | 2021 | PHY | OFDMA DL/UL, MU-MIMO UL, BSS Color, TWT, 4× longer symbols. Wi-Fi 6E extends to 6 GHz. Up to 9.6 Gbps. | Most efficient standard yet. Major improvement for dense deployments. |
| 802.11ay | WiGig 2.0 / 60 GHz | 2021 | PHY | Extends 802.11ad: channel bonding (4× 2.16 GHz), MIMO, up to ~100 Gbps. Adds outdoor backhauling. | Enables 60 GHz backhaul for 5G small cells and stadium connectivity. |
| 802.11ba | Wake-up Radio | 2021 | MAC | Defines an ultra-low-power (~1 µW) wake-up receiver that listens continuously, waking the main radio only when needed. | Extends battery life for IoT devices to potentially 10+ years. |
| 802.11az | Next-Gen Positioning | 2022 | Management | Defines fine timing measurement (FTM) improvements for sub-meter indoor positioning. Uses HE NDP-based ranging. | Sub-10 cm ranging possible. Key for RTLS, asset tracking, indoor navigation. |
| 802.11bd | Next-Gen V2X | 2022 | V2X | Successor to 802.11p: LDPC, midambles for Doppler, 10/20 MHz in 5.9 GHz ITS band, optional 60 GHz. ~2x range and 2x throughput vs 11p. | Competes/coexists with 3GPP C-V2X. Backward compatible with 802.11p. |
| 802.11bc | Enhanced Broadcast Services (eBCS) | 2023 | MAC | Broadcast of authenticated content to non-associated STAs (one-to-many, no association required), with signed frames. | Use cases: venue info push, emergency broadcast. Early adoption stage. |
| 802.11bb | Light Communication (LiFi) | 2023 | PHY | Adds light (infrared 800-1000 nm) as PHY medium, reusing 802.11 MAC. ~9.6 Gbps class rates. | EMI-free niches: hospitals, aircraft, secure rooms. Very limited ecosystem. |
| 802.11be | EHT / Wi-Fi 7 | 2024 (approved); 2025 (published) | PHY | 320 MHz channels, 4096-QAM, Multi-Link Operation, Preamble Puncturing, 8×8 MIMO, R-TWT. Up to ~23 Gbps (8 SS). | Targets <1 ms latency deterministic links. Ratified 2024. |
| 802.11bf | WLAN Sensing | 2024/2025 | Sensing | Standardized Wi-Fi sensing: SENS procedures reusing PHY (CSI measurement) for presence/gesture/vital-sign detection. Works 2.4/5/6 GHz + 60 GHz. | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED sensing programs emerging. Privacy discussions ongoing. |
| 802.11bh | Device Identification with Randomized MAC | 2024/2025 | Privacy/Mgmt | Restores network-side device identity (device ID, IRM - Identifiable Random MAC) that randomized MAC addresses broke, without exposing global MAC. | Solves DHCP reservation / captive portal / analytics breakage caused by MAC randomization. |
| 802.11-2024 / REVme (TGme) | Maintenance Roll-up | 2024/2025 | Roll-up | Consolidates ax/ay/az/ba/bb/bc/bd + corrigenda into new baseline (published as IEEE 802.11-2024). | New baseline; clause numbers shift again vs -2020. |
| 802.11bn | UHR / Wi-Fi 8 | Draft (target ~2028) | PHY | Ultra-High Reliability. Enhanced MLO, coordinated OFDMA, NSTR (non-simultaneous TX/RX) improvements. Target: 100 Gbps. | In TGbn task group. Focus on reliability and latency vs raw speed. |
| 802.11bk | 320 MHz Positioning | In progress | Positioning | Extends 802.11az FTM ranging to 320 MHz EHT channels for higher accuracy (larger BW = finer time resolution). | Pairs with Wi-Fi 7. Sub-10 cm class accuracy targets. |
| 802.11bi | Enhanced Service with Data Privacy | In progress (~2026) | Privacy | Client privacy enhancements: encrypting more identifying fields, protecting pre-association exchanges, mitigating tracking via PHY/MAC fingerprinting. | TGbi active. Watch for changes to probe/assoc contents. |
| 802.11T | Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) | Never completed | Test | Test methodology and metrics recommended practice for predicting Wi-Fi performance. | WITHDRAWN. Capital T = recommended practice. Test methods live on in Wi-Fi Alliance and vendor test plans. |