Many of the protocols and network models described in this section are based upon or have a foundation in the IEEE 802.15 working groups. The 802.15 group was initially formed to focus on wearable devices (coining the phrase personal area network). Their work has expanded significantly and now focuses on higher data rate protocols, meter to kilometer ranges, and specialty communications. Over one million devices are shipped each day using some form of 802.15.x protocol. The following is a list of the various protocols, standards, and specifications that the IEEE maintains and governs:

• 802.15: Wireless personal area network definitions
• 802.15.1: Original foundation of the Bluetooth PAN 
• 802.15.2: Coexistence specifications for WPAN and WLAN for Bluetooth
• 802.15.3: High data rate (55 Mbps+) on WPAN for multimedia
  • 802.15.3a: High-speed PHY enhancements
  • 802.15.3b: High-speed MAC enhancements
  • 802.15.3c: High-Speed (>1 GBps) using mm-wave (millimeter wave) technology
• 802.15.4: Low data rate, simple, simple design, multi-year battery life specifications (Zigbee)
  • 802.15.4-2011: Rollup (specifications a-c) includes UWB, China, and Japan PHYs
  • 802.15.4-2015: Rollup (specifications (d-p) includes RFID support, medical-band PHY, low energy, TV white spaces, rail communications
  • 802.15.4r (on hold): Ranging protocol
  • 802.15.4s: Spectrum Resource Utilization (SRU)
  • 802.15.t: High rate PHY of 2 Mbps
• 802.15.5: Mesh networking
• 802.15.6: Body area networking for medical and entertainment
• 802.15.7: Visible light communications using structured lighting
  • 802.15.7a: Extends range to UV and near-IR, changed name to optical wireless 
• 802.15.8: Peer Aware Communications (PAC) infrastructure-less peer to peer at 10 Kbps to 55 Mbps
• 802.15.9: Key Management Protocol (KMP), management standard for key security
• 802.15.10: Layer 2 mesh routing, recommend mesh routing for 802.15.4, multi PAN
• 802.15.12: Upper layer interface, attempts to make 802.15.4 easier to use 802.11 or 802.3

The consortium also has working groups investigating dependability (IG DEP) to address wireless reliability and resilience, high data rate communications (HRRC IG), and terahertz communications (THz IG).