Final answer:
The component that follows the DATA field in an 802.11 MAC frame structure is the Frame Check Sequence (FCS), a 32-bit CRC used for error checking to ensure data integrity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The field that follows the DATA field in an 802.11 MAC frame structure is the Frame Check Sequence (FCS) field. The FCS comprises of a 32-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC), which is used for error checking. It ensures the integrity of the data carried in the frame. The MAC frame ends with this field, and no additional fields follow after the FCS in the frame structure. When a receiver gets a frame, it recalculates the CRC to verify the integrity of the received data. If there is a mismatch between the calculated CRC and the one received with the frame, it indicates that the data has been corrupted during transmission, and the frame is consequently discarded.
Overall, the FCS is critical for maintaining the reliability of wireless communication by detecting errors that may occur during transmission. The inclusion of the FCS is a standard practice in network protocols which helps in enhancing the robustness and performance of wireless networks.
The FCS field is added after the DATA field and is used for error detection purposes. It allows the receiving device to verify if the data received is identical to the data sent by the transmitting device. If the FCS check fails, it indicates that the data has been corrupted during transmission.