The series of international standards related to wireless local area networks (WLANs) was published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The number for the series related to Wi-Fi systems is IEEE 802.11. This series of standards defines the technical specifications for wireless LANs, including the physical layer (PHY), the media access control (MAC) layer, and the network management functions. The IEEE 802.11 standards are used by manufacturers to ensure interoperability between different Wi-Fi devices, allowing them to communicate with each other over a wireless network.