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IEEE 802.11 WLAN Standards
| Standard | Spectrum |
Maximum physical rate |
Layer 3 data rate |
Transmission |
Compatible with |
Disadvantages | Advantages |
| 802.11 | 2.4 Ghz | 2 Mbps | 1.2 Mbps | FHSS/DSSS | None |
Limited bit rate |
Higher range |
| 802.11a | 5.0 Ghz | 54 Mbps | 32 Mbps | OFDM | None |
Smallest range of all 802.11 standards |
Higher bit rate in less-crowed spectrum |
| 802.11b | 2.4 Ghz | 11 Mbps | 6-7 Mbps | DSSS | 802.11 |
Bit rate too low for many emerging applications |
Widely deployed; higher range |
| 802.11g | 2.4 Ghz | 54 Mbps | 32 Mbps | OFDM |
802.11/802.11b |
Limited number of collocated WLANs higher range that 802.11a |
Higher bit rate in 2.4 GHz spectrum |