Have you ever noticed what the wireless network is called in your phone settings?
Some say the iPhone calls it Wi-Fi, while Android phones call it WLAN. In fact, regardless of whether you are using an iPhone or an Android phone, or even the same model of phone, there are instances where some are called Wi-Fi and others WLAN. So, which one is the fake phone?
To clarify this issue, we need to understand the difference between Wi-Fi and WLAN.
WLAN: This refers to the general term for Wireless Local Area Networks. For networks, it is a type of network mode; for phones, it is a function, equivalent to a computer’s wireless network card.
Its role is to utilize radio frequency (RF) technology for data transmission, achieving a network system for communication and resource sharing.
Wi-Fi: This stands for Wireless Fidelity. Simply put, Wi-Fi is a technology for wireless networking, which used to connect computers through wired networks, but now connects via radio waves.
Wi-Fi is somewhat similar to Bluetooth technology, belonging to short-range wireless technology used in offices and homes.
Differences Between the Two
1. One is a subset of the other
The main difference is that WLAN is a type of network, and there can be many ways to build a wireless local area network, thus using various data transmission standards.
Wi-Fi is one of those standards and is currently the most widely used WLAN standard. Wi-Fi is included within WLAN and is a technology under the WLAN protocol.
2. Different signal transmission power and coverage
The coverage radius of Wi-Fi can reach up to 90 meters, while WLAN’s radio coverage is broader, potentially reaching up to 5 kilometers with antennas.
Thus, in daily life, Wi-Fi is typically generated by routers, wireless network cards, or wireless APs, mainly used in smaller areas like homes and offices, while WLAN is often used in larger areas, such as schools and airports.
On phones, regardless of whether it is an Apple or Android phone, whether the wireless network setting is called Wi-Fi or WLAN, it currently connects to WLAN via Wi-Fi, and the effect is the same.
So why do the same model phones have different names?
The reason is that as long as it is a domestic model, it will be called WLAN or Wireless Local Area Network, while non-domestic models (such as Hong Kong, US versions, commonly referred to as “gray market”) are called Wi-Fi.
This issue involves the self-service intellectual property wireless local area network protocol—WAPI, which was promoted in China starting in 2003.
WAPI stands for Wireless Local Area Network Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure, a security protocol, and is also China’s mandatory standard for wireless local area networks.
At the end of 2003, China planned to enforce the WAPI standard, but it faced resistance from companies like Intel and even the US government.
It wasn’t until June 2009 that WAPI was first agreed upon by more than ten member countries including the US, UK, and France, to be promoted as an international standard in an independent text form (meaning it can be marked, but we won’t use it).
Compared to Wi-Fi, WAPI has better security, but due to various commercial and political reasons, it has not been promoted internationally, and this standard has almost become a mere formality, causing China to lose its voice in this area.
Apart from the significant 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 they support two connection methods, calling it Wi-Fi in the system settings is inaccurate. Therefore, this feature in domestic phones is collectively referred to as Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN. The “gray market” phones only support Wi-Fi, so it is also correct for them to be labeled as Wi-Fi in the settings.
So now you finally understand! What is your phone called? WLAN, Wi-Fi, or Wireless Local Area Network?
Source: Mobile Professor (ID:sj9983)
