Have you ever noticed what your phone calls the wireless network in its settings?
Some say that iPhones call it Wi-Fi, while Android phones refer to it as WLAN. In fact, regardless of whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android phone, or even the same model, there are instances where some call it Wi-Fi and others call it WLAN. So, which is the fake phone?
To clarify this issue, we first need to understand the difference between Wi-Fi and WLAN.
WLAN: is the general term for Wireless Local Area Networks. For networks, it is a type of network model; for phones, it is a feature similar to a computer’s wireless network card.
Its function is to use Radio Frequency (RF) technology for data transmission, achieving communication and resource sharing within a network framework.
Wi-Fi: stands for Wireless Fidelity. Simply put, Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that used to connect computers via cables, but now connects through radio waves.
Wi-Fi is somewhat similar to Bluetooth technology, and it is a short-range wireless technology used in offices and homes.
Key Differences
1. Inclusion Relationship
The main difference is that WLAN is a network, and there are many ways to establish a wireless local area network, which leads to many different data transmission standards.
Wi-Fi is one of these standards and is currently the most widely used WLAN standard. Wi-Fi is included in WLAN, belonging to the WLAN protocol as a technology.
2. Different Signal Power and Coverage
Wi-Fi has a coverage radius of up to 90 meters, while WLAN has a broader coverage range, which can reach up to 5 kilometers with antennas.
In daily life, Wi-Fi is usually generated by routers, wireless network cards, or wireless APs, mainly used in smaller areas like homes and offices, while WLAN is typically used in larger areas, such as schools and airports.
Whether on an Apple or Android phone, regardless of whether the wireless network is called Wi-Fi or WLAN in the settings, it currently connects to WLAN through Wi-Fi, and the effect is the same.
Why Do Different Models of Phones Use Different Names?
The reason is that any domestic model will be called WLAN or Wireless Local Area Network, while non-domestic models (like models from Hong Kong or the US, often referred to as “gray market”) will be called Wi-Fi.
This issue relates to the wireless local area network protocol for self-owned intellectual property promoted in China starting in 2003—WAPI.
WAPI, which stands for Wireless Local Area Network Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure, is a security protocol and also a mandatory standard for wireless LAN security in China.
At the end of 2003, China planned to enforce the WAPI standard, but it faced resistance from American companies like Intel and even the US government.
It wasn’t until June 2009 that WAPI received unanimous agreement from members of over ten countries, including the US, UK, and France, to promote it as an international standard in an independent text form (meaning it can be established as a standard, but we won’t use it).
Compared to Wi-Fi, WAPI offers better security, but due to various commercial and political reasons, it has not been widely promoted internationally, rendering this standard almost non-existent and causing China to lose its influence in this area.
Aside from substantial patent fees, Wi-Fi is an American standard, and its security cannot be guaranteed.
A fallback approach is to require all domestic devices to support both WAPI and Wi-Fi protocols simultaneously. Since both connection methods are supported, calling it Wi-Fi in the system settings is inaccurate; therefore, domestic phones refer to this function as Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN. “Gray market” phones, which support only Wi-Fi, can accurately call it Wi-Fi in their settings.
So now you finally understand! Does your phone call it WLAN, Wi-Fi, or Wireless Local Area Network?
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Source: Phone Professor
