Which standard governs wireless local area networks used by most Wi‑Fi devices?

• A. IEEE 802.11
• B. IEEE 802.3
• C. IEEE 802.15
• D. IEEE 802.16

Answer: (A)

Wireless networks used by Wi‑Fi devices are defined by a standard that specifies how devices communicate over the air, including radio operation, media access, and data formats. This standard is IEEE 802.11. It lays out the rules for how wireless LANs function, what frequencies they can use (like 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), how devices share the channel, and how security and data framing work. Over the years, 802.11 has evolved with amendments such as 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, but all still describe WLAN behavior used by Wi‑Fi.

Other choices describe different kinds of networks: IEEE 802.3 is wired Ethernet, IEEE 802.15 covers short-range wireless personal area networks like Bluetooth and Zigbee, and IEEE 802.16 is WiMAX for broader wireless metropolitan networks.