IEEE 802 refers to a family of IEEE standards dealing with local area networks and

metropolitan area networks.

More specifically, the IEEE 802 standards are restricted to networks carrying variable-size
packets. (By contrast, in cell-based networks data is transmitted in short, uniformly sized units
called cells. Isochronous networks, where data is transmitted as a steady stream of octets, or
groups of octets, at regular time intervals, are also out of the scope of this standard.) The number
802 was simply the next free number IEEE could assign, though “802” is sometimes associated
with the date the first meeting was held — February 1980.

The services and protocols specified in IEEE 802 map to the lower two layers (Data Link and
Physical) of the seven-layer OSI networking reference model. In fact, IEEE 802 splits the OSI
Data Link Layer into two sub-layers named Logical Link Control (LLC) and Media Access
Control (MAC) , so that the layers can be listed like this:

 Data link layer

o LLC Sublayer
o MAC Sublayer
 Physical layer

The IEEE 802 family of standards is maintained by the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards
Committee (LMSC). The most widely used standards are for the Ethernet family, Token Ring,
Wireless LAN, Bridging and Virtual Bridged LANs. An individual Working Group provides the
focus for each area.

See its working groups:

name description note

IEEE 802.1 Bridging (networking) and Network Management

IEEE 802.2 Logical link control inactive

IEEE 802.3 Ethernet

IEEE 802.4 Token bus disbanded

IEEE 802.5 Defines the MAC layer for a Token Ring inactive
IEEE 802.6 Metropolitan Area Networks disbanded

IEEE 802.7 Broadband LAN using Coaxial Cable disbanded

IEEE 802.8 Fiber Optic TAG disbanded

IEEE 802.9 Integrated Services LAN disbanded

IEEE 802.10 Interoperable LAN Security disbanded

IEEE 802.11
Wireless LAN & Mesh (Wi-Fi certification)
a/b/g/n

IEEE 802.12 demand priority disbanded

Not used
IEEE 802.13
(officially)

IEEE 802.14 Cable modems disbanded

IEEE 802.15 Wireless PAN

IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth certification

IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee certification

IEEE 802.16 Broadband Wireless Access (WiMAX certification)

IEEE 802.16e (Mobile) Broadband Wireless Access

IEEE 802.16.1 Local Multipoint Distribution Service

IEEE 802.17 Resilient packet ring

IEEE 802.18 Radio Regulatory TAG

IEEE 802.19 Coexistence TAG

IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access

IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handoff

IEEE 802.22 Wireless Regional Area Network

IEEE 802.23 Broadband ISDN system experimental

[edit] See also

 Computer network

[edit] References
 IEEE Std 802-1990: IEEE Standards for Local and Metropolitan Networks: Overview
and Architecture New York:1990

[edit] External links

 802 Committee website
 IEEE 802 Standards
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