Wireless LANs (WLANs) based on the IEEE 802.11 standards send data over radio frequency (RF) instead of cables. Radio is a shared, half-duplex medium: every device on the same channel in the same area competes for airtime, and only one can transmit at a time. Wi-Fi uses CSMA/CA (carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance), so stations listen and wait before sending rather than detecting collisions. That is why channel planning and interference control matter so much, and why the CCNA tests bands, channels and naming terms.
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