IEEE nurtures, develops, and advances the building of global technologies. As a leading developer of industry standards in a broad range of technologies, IEEE Standards Association (SA) drives the functionality, capabilities, safety, and interoperability of products and services, transforming how people live, work, and communicate. One of the biggest fields that IEEE sets the standard for is ethernet and wireless communications technologies, known as the IEEE 802 Standard. In this edition of TryEngineering Tuesday, we will dive deep into the IEEE 802.11 Standard, which is particular to the specifications set for WiFi. As wireless communications emerge and evolve, the standards to which these technologies will be held will also need to evolve. Join us as we team up with IEEE Communications Society to learn more!

Explore the IEEE 802.11 Standard and the wireless communications technologies that have evolved over the years. 

  • Join Shahrnaz Azizi, a Principal Engineer in the Connected System Lab at Intel Corporation for the TryEngineering Tuesday IEEE 802.11 Standards webinar.
  • Just what exactly is 802.11? Kiddle offers a kid-friendly explanation of this standard and the frequencies of wireless communication.
  • The 802.11 standard is all about making sure that the wireless technologies of the world are operating most effectively as they become more elaborate and require more support to function. 5G is the latest standard for mobile internet networks. Learn more about the evolution and various components of wireless communication and technologies in this video overview on 5G from Scientific American. 
  • Just what are the technologies that make up 5G, the latest standard of wireless communication? Millimeter waves, massive MIMO, full duplex, beamforming, and small cells are just a few of the technologies that could enable ultrafast 5G networks. Learn more about them in this video from IEEE Spectrum. 
  • As technologies emerge and evolve, the 802.11 standard will also need to be amended to reflect the technologies that are available and implemented. Learn more about how the 802.11 standard evolved to reflect these new technologies in this video from Sunny Classroom.
  • Ready to help younger students understand what 5G and wireless communications are? Be inspired while you smile as you read this article and enjoy these videos from Ericsson that show the experts quizzing children on their knowledge of wireless communications!
  • Engineers designing communications products need access to an array of information including technical standards (such as 802.11) to help ensure that their design will work seamlessly with other technologies in the world. Read more about how the new IEEE DiscoveryPoint for Communications platform aims to solve this problem in this IEEE Spectrum article. 

 

Image Source: Sunny Classroom: The Evolution of IEEE 802.11 Standards-BAG NAC

Have fun and learn more about the wireless communication technologies that have evolved the 802.11 Standard to what it is today. 

 

Image Source: SERP: Waves Traveling the Universe

Be inspired by hearing how your peers are making a difference in their communities using wireless communication technologies, and then try it yourself!

  • In the fall of 2020, students from 17 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) took part in our first ever HBCU (and AT&T) Innovation challenge, building 5G solutions for causes that mattered most to them. Read more about the challenge and the winners in this article from Life at AT&T.
  • Read all about a competition that challenged students to develop cutting-edge mobile technologies that enhance the sports fan experience and spotlight the benefits of a 5G network in this article from Indiana University.
  • Santosh Ganji, a computer engineering doctoral student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, is working to design novel beam management practices for 5G wireless technology that will address many of the current concerns with present technologies. Read more about it in this article from Texas A&M.
  • Radio waves serve today’s wireless communications. Read more about how students built a telescope that uses radio waves to transmit signals and receive data in our solar system in this article from The Skyline View.

 

Image Source: Life at AT&T Blog: HBCU Students Deliver 5G Solutions in the AT&T Innovative Challenge

  • Write down at least one new thing that you learned about WiFi and IEEE 802.11 Standard.
  • Think about how to inspire others and make a difference in your community.  
  • Have you, a family member, or teacher share your work on Facebook or Twitter using #tryengineeringtuesday. We want to hear from you!  
  • If you tried any of the activities, make sure you download your IEEE Communications Society Badge. Collect them all and store them using this Badge Collection Tool.

Thank you to the IEEE Communications Society for making this TryEngineering Tuesday possible!