Difference Between WLAN and Wifi (With Table)

WLAN can be also known as Wireless Local Area Network and is also known as Wireless WLAN. It is a network of computers that utilize high-frequency radio waves for the transfer of signals over ranges of a few hundred feet. Multiple computers can be connected to a central data system, a printer, or even a scanner via the network. This allows for networking (internet) mobility while also avoiding the use of cumbersome and inconvenient cords for interconnectivity.

The acronym WI-FI stands for “Wireless Fidelity.” The word is indeed a trademark that is used to identify items that fall within a specific category of WLAN devices. The standards established by IEEE 802.11 are used in gadgets or hardware marked with the WI-FI trademark. The majority of people assume WI-FI to be the same thing as the genuine standard.

Comparison Table Between WLAN and Wifi

What is WLAN?

A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a network that is wireless and connects multiple devices by using wireless technology. It allows Wlan to create a local area network (LAN). It is inside a specific region, which can be a residence, institution, computer rooms, campuses, or office complex. This allows users to travel throughout the region while remaining connected to the internet. A WLAN can also enable access to the rest of the Internet via a gateway.

The most extensively used networks in the world are wireless LANs based on IEEE 802.11 standards. These are frequently referred to as Wi-Fi, which is a Wi-Fi Alliance trademark. They’re utilized in home and small business networks to connect laptops, scanners, cellphones, Internet TVs, as well as gaming gadgets to the internet via a wireless router. People can use portable wireless devices to use the internet services via many hotspots provided by the routers in many places like restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, universities, & airports.

Wireless LANs can be used in a variety of ways. WLANs today range in size from modest in-home networks to huge campus-sized networks to fully mobile networks on planes and trains. WLAN hotspots in restaurants and hotels, as well as portable devices connected to 3G or 4G networks, allow users to access the Internet.

To connect the network, these forms of public access points frequently do not require registration or a password. Others are accessed with registration or payment of a charge. With no changes to the existing hardware, current Wireless LAN infrastructures can be used as indoor positioning systems.

What is Wifi?

Wi-Fi is a wireless communication protocol dependent on the standard of Ieee 802.11 which is being mostly used for device networking & Internet access, allowing adjacent electronic devices to exchange data via radio waves. In the whole range of computer connections, it is preferred the most, used in the home as well as small office networks to connect desktop as well as laptop computers, tablets, mobile phones, TVs, scanners, as well as smart speakers to a wifi connection to link up to them to the Internet, and also in public places such as coffee houses, hotel chains, library services, & airports to provide public Internet connectivity for mobile devices.

Wi-Fi’s have such a high absorption rate and thus are best used in a line-of-sight environment. Several common obstacles, like walls, towers, and household appliances, can significantly restrict reach, but it also helps avoid interference between multiple networks in congested areas. An indoor base station typically has a reach of about 20 meters, although some newer access points claim to have a distance of up to 150 meters outdoors.

Hotspots connectivity can be as tiny as a single room with radio-wave-blocking walls, or as broad with many square kilometers with roaming allowed among overlapping access sites. Wi-Fi’s and spectral efficiency have improved over the years. As of 2019, certain Wi-Fi networks can achieve rates of 9.6 Gbit/s when running on compatible gear at close range.

Main Differences Between WLAN and Wifi

1. Wifi is indeed a wireless communication technology that is directly based on IEEE 802.11 standards. Wireless local area networking is used to form a connection between numerous devices using technology that allows to minimise the usage of cables and creates a local network.
2. The full form of Wlan is Wireless local area networking whereas the fullform of wifi is Wireless Fidelity.
3. The range of both devies also differs. Wlan provides 2.4 GHz100 meters (300 feet) whereas for wifi it is 2.4 GHz band can reach up to 150 feet indoors and 300 feet outdoors.
4. Another names for wlan is wireless LAN whereas wifi can be also known as WiFi, wifi, wi-fi or wi fi.
5. Inside a WLAN, devices almost always use WI-FI brand products but this is not same for wifi.

Conclusion

Wi-Fi is among the most prevalent techniques to create a wireless WLAN nowadays. This refers to a group of standards that begin with the number 802.11 and is associated with the Electrical & Electronics Engineers collection of standards. Wi-Fi protocols can be identified by their 802.11 reference number, including such 802.11b as well as 802.11g, or by more common designations such as Wi-Fi 6 or Wireless G.

Access points are devices that listen for connectivity from machines in the region in both residential & office Wi-Fi networks. These are frequently routers that can successfully route traffic along with a local area network as well as to as well as from the internet. Routers frequently accept several versions of the Wi-Fi standards to accept multiple generations of gadgets, and if you’re setting up a network, be sure all of your devices are compatible.

References

1. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1192736
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5416357