Why do I see WLAN when I connect to WIFI? What's the difference between them?

Good evening, my friends.

When we surf the Internet, we always say that we are connected to WiFi, but if we pay attention to the name of the wireless network, we will see that the connection on the computer is”WLAN”.So, what is the difference between the two names？

What is the difference between WLAN and WIFI?

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01 What is WIFI?

WiFi, the full name is Wireless Fidelity ，That is, wireless fidelity. It is a wireless local area network technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard.To put it simply, WiFi is a technology thatallows our electronic devices （such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, etc.） to connect to the Internet via wireless signals.

You can easily browse the web, watch videos, play games andplay games without having to connect to your phone or computer at home. This is the WiFi. The emergence of WiFi technology allows us to get rid of the tedious cable bondage and achieve true wireless freedom.

WiFi technology mainly works in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. 2.4 GHz band signal transmission distance is longer, but the transmission speed is relatively slow; In the 5GHz band, the signal travels a short distance, but the transmission speed is relativelyfast. At present, with the continuous development of technology, new WiFi standards such as WiFi 6 continue to emerge,bringingus faster transmission speeds, lower latency and betterstability.

02 What is WLAN?

WLAN, full name is Wireless Local Area Network, that is, Wireless Local Area Network. It is a computer network built on a localscale using wireless communication technology. WLAN can covermany different wireless communication technologies, and WiFi is just one of them.

WLAN is usually provided by wireless access points （access points，AbbreviationAP） 、Wireless clients （e.g., mobile phones, computers, etc.） and network infrastructure （such as routers, switches, etc.） composed。The wireless access point is responsible for converting wired network signals into wireless signals foruse by wireless client connections.The wireless client communicates with the wireless access point through the wireless signal torealize the connection with the network.

WLAN coverage can be adjusted according to actual needs, canbe small to a family, a office, can also be large to a campus, a business park. Compared with the traditional wired local area network, WLAN has the advantages of easy installation, high flexibility and strong expansibility.

03 What is the difference between WiFi and WLAN?

1. Concepts vary in scope

WiFi is a specific wireless local area network technology, which is based on the IEEE 802.11 standard.

WLAN is a broader concept that encompasses many different wireless communication technologies, including WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and more. It can be said that WiFi is a way of implementing WLAN.

2. Coverage is different

WiFi coverage is relatively small, generally between tens of meters and hundreds of meters. It is mainly suitable for small areas such as homes, offices, cafes and other places.

WLAN coverage can be adjusted according to actual needs, canbe small to a room, large to a city. For example, in some largeenterprise parks, campuses and other places, large-scale WLAN networks will be deployed, covering a range of several kilometers.

3. The transmission speed is different

WiFi transmission speed will be affected by a variety of factors,such as distance from the wireless access point, signal interference and so on. Generally speaking, the transmission speed of WiFi is between tens of Mbps and hundreds of Mbps.

The speed of WLAN transmission depends on the wireless communication technology and equipment used。Some advanced WLAN technologies, such as 802.11AC, 802.11ax （WiFi 6） etc., can provide higher transmission speed, reaching Gbps level.

4. The security is different

WiFi has relatively low security and is vulnerable to hackers. Inorder to improve the security of WiFi, we can set complex passwords, turn on WPA / WPA2 encryption and other measures.

WLAN security is relatively high, because it usually uses more stringent security authentication and encryption technology. For example, enterprise-class WLAN networks often use 802.1X authentication, VPN and other technologies to ensure network security.

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