The “802.x” refers to a set of IEEE standards that govern wireless and local-area network communication. These standards are maintained by the IEEE’s LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802). Here’s a brief overview of some of the prominent 802.x standards:

IEEE 802.1:

  • Bridging (connecting) and network management.
  • Includes standards like 802.1X, which is used for port-based network access control.

IEEE 802.2:

  • Logical Link Control (LLC), which is used in the data link layer of LANs.

IEEE 802.3:

  • Ethernet, the dominant standard for wired LAN technology.
  • Defines the frame format, MAC addressing, and the CSMA/CD protocol.

IEEE 802.5:

  • Defines the Token Ring network protocol.

IEEE 802.6:

  • Metropolitan Area Network (MAN).

IEEE 802.7:

  • Broadband Technical Advisory Group (not widely used).

IEEE 802.8:

  • Fibre Optic TAG.

IEEE 802.9:

  • Integrated voice and data networks.

IEEE 802.11:

  • Wireless LAN (WLAN) standards, widely known as Wi-Fi.
  • Has several sub-standards, like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax, each defining various radio frequencies, speeds, and other features.

IEEE 802.15:

  • Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) standards.
  • This includes standards like Bluetooth (802.15.1) and ZigBee (802.15.4).

IEEE 802.16:

  • Broadband Wireless Access (BWA), commonly known as WiMAX.

IEEE 802.17:

  • Resilient Packet Ring (RPR), a standard for the optimized transport of data traffic over optical fiber ring networks.

IEEE 802.18:

  • Radio Regulatory Technical Advisory Group, which advises on wireless communication standards.

IEEE 802.19:

  • Coexistence Working Group, which ensures different wireless standards can work together without interference.

IEEE 802.20:

  • Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA).

IEEE 802.21:

  • Media Independent Handover (MIH).

IEEE 802.22:

  • Wireless Regional Area Networks (WRAN), leveraging unused TV broadcast channels in the VHF/UHF bands.

These standards, and others under the 802 umbrella, play an essential role in defining the protocols and operations of a vast majority of networked devices. They ensure interoperability and compatibility between different manufacturers and systems.