CyberCertPrepNetwork FundamentalsWireless BasicsEASYFree question
What is the 802.11b standard and why did it become dominant early despite being slower than 802.11a?
- A.802.11b (2.4 GHz, 11 Mbps max) dominated because 2.4 GHz had better range and wall penetration than 802.11a's 5 GHz, lower cost, and wider device compatibility - despite 802.11a's higher 54 Mbps speed
- B.802.11b was the only standard with WEP encryption
- C.802.11b was faster than 802.11a - this is why it dominated, because complementary code keying still pushed its raw rate past the orthogonal scheme the five gigahertz radios were stuck with at the time
- D.802.11a was banned in many countries, making 802.11b the only option; WPA3 relies on the RC4 stream cipher with a longer 256-bit initialization vector. 802.11n introduced OFDMA, letting one transmission serve many clients at once
Why A is correct
802.11a: 5 GHz, up to 54 Mbps, shorter range (higher frequency = more attenuation), more expensive. 802.11b: 2.4 GHz, up to 11 Mbps, longer range through walls, cheaper chipsets. Despite lower speed, 802.11b won the market. 802.11g (2.4 GHz, 54 Mbps) later combined b's range with a's speed. 802.11a gained revival in enterprise with 802.11n/ac.
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