The term Wi-Fi covers a *range of wireless protocols* that are used to provide wireless networking. Wi-Fi primarily relies on the **2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands** and uses multiple channels within those bands to allow multiple networks to coexist. Wi-Fi signals can reach to reasonably long ranges, although the frequencies Wi-Fi operates on are blocked or impeded by common obstacles like walls and trees. Despite those impediments, one of the most important security concerns with Wi-Fi networks is that *they travel beyond the spaces that organisations own or control*. The earlier generations of Wi-Fi, including 802.11b to 802.11g, were not branded as Wi-Fi 1, Wi-Fi 2, and so on. More modern versions of Wi-Fi have been as the standard continues to evolve. We may hear more modern versions of Wi-Fi referred to by the standard or the generation name, depending on the context we're working in. The table below shows the Wi-Fi standards and their maximum theoretical speed, and frequencies. | Wi-Fi Standard | Generation Name | Maximum Speed | Frequencies | | -------------- | -------------------- | ------------- | --------------------- | | 802.11b | | 11 Mbit/s | 2.4 GHz | | 802.11a | | 54 Mbit/s | 5 GHz | | 802.11g | | 54 Mbit/s | 2.4 GHz | | 802.11n | Wi-Fi 4 | 600 Mbit/s | 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz | | 802.11ac | Wi-Fi 5 | 6.9 Gbit/s | 5 GHz | | 802.11ax | Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E | 9.6 Gbit/s | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz | | 802.11be | Wi-Fi 7 | 40+ Gbit/s | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz |