IEEE 802

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What Does IEEE 802 Mean?

IEEE 802 is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard set that covers the physical and data link layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. It defines standards and protocols for wired local area networks (WLAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wireless networks; defines characteristics, operating procedures, protocols and services for networks that carry variable sized packets and specifies the development and handling of compatible devices and equipment.

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Techopedia Explains IEEE 802

IEEE 802 subdivides the data link layer into sublayers, namely the logical link control (LLC) and media access control (MAC) layers, which provide protocol multiplexing and a multi-access mechanism, respectively.

IEEE 802 is comprised of standards with separate working groups that regulate different communication networks, including IEEE 802.1, 802.3, 802.11 and 802.15.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.