802.11n

IEEE 802.11 Task Group N was formed in July 2003 to "define standardized modifications to both the 802.11 physical layers (PHY) and the 802.11 Medium Access Control Layer (MAC) so that modes of operation can be enabled that are capable of much higher throughputs, with a maximum throughput of at least 100 Mbps, as measured at the MAC data service access point (SAP)." This is the first 802.11 project focused on throughput rather than signaling rate. Other goals are to achieve the hoped-for throughput without sacrificing range, and to maintain interoperability with 802.11a and/or 802.11g devices. The initial schedule calls for a standard to be finalized by the end of 2005.

802.1x

IEEE 802.1x is a standard for access control on both wired and wireless LANs. Ratified in early 2001, many wireless access points now support it. It defines how authentication and authorization messages are passed between a "supplicant" (for example, a wireless station) and an "authenticator" (in this case, an access point), and between the authenticator and an "authentication server," normally a computer running Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) software. Supplicant and authenticator communicate using the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), a method originally developed by the Internet community for use on dial-up lines (so its use in 802.1x is sometimes referred to as "EAP over LAN," or EAPOL). It defines a transport framework but does not specify a single mechanism for authentication and authorization (A&A). Implementations on the market are referred to as "EAP-" plus the A&A method used. Examples are EAP-MD5, EAP-LEAP, EAP-TLS, and EAP-TTLS.