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IEEE 802 refers to a family of IEEE standards dealing with local area networks and metropolitan area networks. More specifically, the IEEE 802 standards are restricted to networks carrying variable-size packets. (By contrast, in cell-based networks data is transmitted in short, uniformly sized units called cells. Isochronous networks, where data is transmitted as a steady stream of octets, or groups of octets, at regular time intervals, are also out of the scope of this standard.) The number 802 was simply the next free number IEEE could assign, though "802" is sometimes associated with the date the first meeting was held - February 1980.

The services and protocols specified in IEEE 802 map to the lower two layers (Data Link and Physical) of the seven-layer OSI networking reference model. In fact, IEEE 802 splits the OSI Data Link Layer into two sub-layers named Logical Link Control (LLC) and Media Access Control, so that the layers can be listed like this:

• Data link layer
  • LLC Sublayer
  • MAC Sublayer
• Physical layer

The IEEE 802 family of standards is maintained by the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee (LMSC). The most widely used standards are for the Ethernet family, Token Ring, Wireless LAN, Bridging and Virtual Bridged LANs. An individual Working Group provides the focus for each area.

See its working groups:

• IEEE 802.1 Higher layer LAN protocols
• IEEE 802.2 Logical link control
• IEEE 802.3 Ethernet
• IEEE 802.4 Token bus (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.5 Token Ring
• IEEE 802.6 Metropolitan Area Networks (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.7 Broadband LAN using Coaxial Cable (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.8 Fiber Optic TAG (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.9 Integrated Services LAN (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.10 Interoperable LAN Security (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi certification)
• IEEE 802.12 demand priority
• IEEE 802.13 (not used)
• IEEE 802.14 Cable modems (disbanded)
• IEEE 802.15 Wireless PAN
  • IEEE 802.15.1 (Bluetooth certification)
  • IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee certification)
• IEEE 802.16 Broadband Wireless Access (WiMAX certification)
  • IEEE 802.16e (Mobile) Broadband Wireless Access
• IEEE 802.17 Resilient packet ring
• IEEE 802.18 Radio Regulatory TAG
• IEEE 802.19 Coexistence TAG
• IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access
• IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handoff
• IEEE 802.22 Wireless Regional Area Network

• Computer network

• IEEE Std 802-1990: IEEE Standards for Local and Metropolitan Networks: Overview and Architecture New York:1990

• 802 Committee website