Analysis of Wi-Fi Networks Evolution During the First Quarter of the 21st Century

Relevance. Wireless data transmission technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard currently occupies a key place in wireless access networks. Since its introduction in 1997, it has undergone 28 years of active technological evolution. WiMAX, which existed since 2001, has virtually disappeared due to the development of LTE, while Bluetooth, which appeared in 1999, continues to evolve. Both technologies had the potential to replace Wi-Fi. WiMAX was initially intended to fill the gap between slow cellular networks and Wi-Fi, offering a compromise between mobility and speed. Bluetooth found its niche in the M2M segment. Today, we are seeing the rollout of the IEEE 802.11be amendment to the market, and the first results from the IEEE working group on the upcoming IEEE 802.11bn update. Over the years, standard has seen significant improvements across all layers of the protocol stack, and there is reason to expect that the new amendment will be, in some sense, technologically revolutionary. The aim of this work is to identify patterns in the technological evolution of the IEEE 802.11 standard over the past period of development. Methods. Analysis of professional and scientific literature, standards texts, and industry practices. Speaking about its objective, this paper presents an overview of the key improvements made to the standard over the years past and examines the main areas of its current development. The focus is on the cyclical nature of the technological evolution of the IEEE 802.11 standard.Its novelty lies in identifying and describing the patterns of the standard's development and its practical application. Its theoretical significance lies in the analysis of protocol development trends within the technology's evolution. It also demonstrates that the adoption of new additions to the IEEE 802.11 standard is cyclical, combining revolutionary breakthroughs with evolutionary changes. Practical significance: The obtained results can be used to analyze and forecast further evolutionary changes in the technology in light of the expected transition to the eighth generation of the standard.

wireless networks, IEEE 802.11, standards evolution