Editing Wi-Fi (section)

=== Communication stack ===
{{Main|IEEE 802|IEEE 802.11}}
[[File:802.11 frame.png|alt=|right|frameless|622x622px|Generic 802.11 Frame]]

Wi-Fi is part of the IEEE 802 protocol family. The data is organized into [[802.11 frame types|802.11 frames]] that are very similar to [[Ethernet frame]]s at the data link layer, but with extra address fields. MAC addresses are used as [[network address]]es for routing over the LAN.<ref name="IEEE 802.3 Clause 3.1.1">{{cite web| url = http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/download/802.3-2012_section1.pdf| title = 3.1.1 Packet format| work = IEEE Standard for Ethernet, 802.3-2012 – section one| date = 28 December 2012| access-date = 6 July 2014| page = 53| url-status=dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021020414/http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/download/802.3-2012_section1.pdf| archive-date = 21 October 2014}}</ref>

Wi-Fi's MAC and [[physical layer]] (PHY) specifications are defined by IEEE 802.11 for modulating and receiving one or more carrier waves to transmit the data in the infrared, and 2.4, [[IEEE 802.11y-2008|3.6]], 5, 6, or [[IEEE 802.11ad|60&nbsp;GHz]] frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee ([[IEEE 802]]). The base version of the standard was released in 1997 and has had many subsequent amendments. The standard and amendments provide the basis for wireless network products using the Wi-Fi brand. While each amendment is officially revoked when incorporated in the latest version of the standard, the corporate world tends to market to the revisions because they concisely denote capabilities of their products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gadgetreview.com/what-is-wifi-what-does-wifi-stand-for-how-does-it-work|title=What Does WiFi Stand For and How Does Wifi Work?|last=Stobing|first=Chris|date=17 November 2015|website=GadgetReview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201045951/http://www.gadgetreview.com/what-is-wifi-what-does-wifi-stand-for-how-does-it-work|archive-date=1 December 2015|url-status=live|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref> As a result, in the market place, each revision tends to become its own standard.

In addition to 802.11, the IEEE 802 protocol family has specific provisions for Wi-Fi. These are required because Ethernet's cable-based media are not usually shared, whereas with wireless all transmissions are received by all stations within the range that employ that radio channel. While Ethernet has essentially negligible error rates, wireless communication media are subject to significant interference. Therefore, the accurate transmission is not guaranteed so delivery is, therefore, a [[best-effort delivery]] mechanism. Because of this, for Wi-Fi, the [[Logical Link Control]] (LLC) specified by [[IEEE 802.2]] employs Wi-Fi's [[media access control]] (MAC) protocols to manage retries without relying on higher levels of the protocol stack.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Geier|first1=Jim|title=Overview of the IEEE 802.11 Standard|url=http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=24411&seqNum=7|publisher=InformIT|access-date=8 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420043213/http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=24411&seqNum=7|archive-date=20 April 2016|date=6 December 2001}}</ref>

For internetworking purposes, Wi-Fi is usually [[protocol layering|layered]] as a [[link layer]]{{efn|The link layer is equivalent to the physical and data link layers of the [[OSI model]].}} below the [[internet layer]] of the [[Internet Protocol]]. This means that nodes have an associated [[internet address]] and, with suitable connectivity, this allows full Internet access.