The following is an overview of the wireless governing bodies. It is good to know who they are and what they are up to.
IEEE- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
The IEEE is the world’s largest technical profession association. IEEE is composed of over 395,000 members in 160 countries that strive to further technology for the betterment of humanity. The IEEE creates technology standards that we use every day. The IEEE began in 1884 in New York. The group consisted of a few notable members such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Bell. The group called themselves AIEE. Not long after the formation of the AIEE the IRE began and focused on radio transmission and telegraphy. The Institute of Radio Engineers was formed in 1912. On Jan. 1 1963 the two groups merged to form the IEEE. The IEEE has published over 900 standards but in networking we are more familiar with the 802 wired and wireless standards. The 802 standard consists of 25 different focused groups each related to a different topic.
Wi-Fi Alliance
“Wi-Fi Alliance is the worldwide network of companies that bring you Wi-Fi” The Wi-Fi Alliance is a non-profit organization that works to enforce inter-operability between devices. Since 1999 the Wi-Fi Alliance has grown to include 600+ networked companies in many countries. Wi-Fi alliance has the Wi-Fi certified label that designates product that has been test to ensure inter-operability and security standards. So far 18,000 devices have received the certification.
IETF- Internet Engineering Task Force
IETF is a large international community composed of vendors, designers, researchers and, operators that work to ease the use of the internet. The IETF formed in 1986 and many working groups each focused on a separate topic. IETF is a members that make up the ISOC , Internet Society.
ISO- International Organization for Standardization
“ISO is the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards”. Created in 1946 ISo has created over 19,500 standards effecting all facets of technology and manufacturing. To “techies” ISO is probably best known for creating the OSI model. The OSI model is a 7 layer conceptual model that depicts the internal functions of communication between devices.
FCC- Federal Communications Commission
The FCC is the governing body for USA. All communication both domestic and international are regulated by the FCC. For wireless networking the FCC allocates spectrum available for use. Currently we are allowed to use 2.4 and 5 Ghz ISM bands. They control specifics on frequency, transmit power, and where it can be used, and bandwidth.