Different hardware vendors support different standard. But most wireless networking hardware vendors support the 802.11b standard while they can inter-operate. When purchasing wireless networking hardware from separate vendors one should sure to obtain guarantees from the vendors that the hardware will interoperate and follows the various standards. Today the latest version of the standard defines 11mbps and 5.5mbps networking, with support for the older standard 1mbps and 2mbps speeds. This provides some compatibility with different or older equipment. Software access points which uses the wireless interface of the host computer should have no compatibility issues with third party wireless hardware, as long as standards are followed. Typically wireless hardware is identified to the software as a network interface, and therefore can be used in the same way as any other network card.

If the component is Wi-Fi CERTIFIED for the same frequency band and features, you can mix and match wireless LAN products produced by different manufacturers. The Wi-Fi Alliance tests all products independently before they receive Wi-Fi Certification to ensure they are interoperable with all other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products of the same frequency band and features, regardless of manufacturer.

While a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11b (2.4 GHz) product will not interoperate with a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11a (5 GHz) product, a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED dual-band product will interoperate with all Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products