Station (networking)

In IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) terminology, a station (abbreviated as STA) is a device that has the capability to use the 802.11 protocol.

For example, a station may be a laptop, a desktop PC, PDA, access point or Wi-Fi phone.

Generally, in wireless networking terminology, a station, a wireless client and a node are often used interchangeably, with no strict distinction existing between these terms.

A station may also be referred to as a transmitter or receiver based on its transmission characteristics.

IEEE 802.11-2007 formally defines station as: Any device that contains an IEEE 802.11-conformant media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface to the wireless medium (WM).