Wireless LAN Standards - Regulatory Bodies!
Wireless LAN Standards - Regulatory Bodies!
In this article we are going to
cover what are the various bodies involves in defining the Wireless LAN Standards.
This information is useful if you want to make a strong foundation in WLAN
technology.
These regulatory bodies are responsible
for defining standards on RF technologies and how to use them in a Wireless LAN
environment.
You can broadly categories these regulatory
bodies into groups –
Regulatory bodies responsible for
defining the Wi-Fi standards related to WLAN Control and Provisioning. For example,
the IETF is an International Internet standards organization, responsible for
Wi-Fi Standards related to WLAN control & Provisioning.
Regulatory bodies responsible for RF regulations. RF regulations are not same globally therefore local RF regulations are there. These local RF regulators main concern is on minimizing the RF interference – they regulate RF powers and usable WLAN frequencies. Some of the example of local RF regulators are FCC – that regulates RF in US, ETSI regulates the Europe.
Regulatory bodies responsible for WLAN Standards. Define how layer 1
and layer 2 of the OSI functions will be implemented in a Wireless LAN environment.
IEEE is responsible for defining such standards. IEEE developed the 802.11 standard
for wireless. This standard exists in FCC unlicensed space. Therefore, the FCC also
contributes to defining the power regulations in Wireless networks. IEEE 802.11
standards for Wireless define how to use various channels, layer 1
transmission methods and layer 2 frame types and protocols.
Finally there comes the bodies
that defines standards to ensure that different wireless products from
different OEMs work in a Wireless network. For this we have Wi-Fi alliance.
Wi-Fi Alliance is the group of WLAN hardware and software manufacturers. This
alliance’s focus is on interoperability ensuring different OEM’s APs and
clients can work together. Their focus largely is on the QoS and the security features.
Hope you find this article informative.