Understanding WLAN: Your Guide to Wireless Local Area Networks

What is a Wireless Local Area Network WLAN?

A wireless local-area network (WLAN) is a group of colocated computers or other devices that form a network based on radio transmissions rather than wired connections. A Wi-Fi network is a type of WLAN, anyone connected to Wi-Fi while reading this webpage is using a WLAN.
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For one to access the internet and remain as such in today’s digital age, wireless connectivity is a must. One way through which this connectivity can be ensured is via WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). This guide provides an overview of WLAN, how to connect your device, what devices you require, and the purpose of LAN ports in the WLAN environment.

What Is WLAN?

WLAN or Wireless Local Area Network refers to a type of network that uses radio waves for communication within a limited geographical area such as an office building or school. Unlike traditional wired connections, WLANs do not use physical cables. In this case, devices like laptops, smart phones and tablets can connect to each other as well as the internet without necessarily needing any physical cables.

Connecting To A WLAN

Usually connecting to a modern mobile phone or device is typically very simple. Here are the steps:

Get Into Settings: Open up your phone settings menu.

Choose WiFi: Click on “WiFi”.

Search For The Network: Look for your desired network from among the ones listed there.

Input Password: Provide the network password into it.

Most smartphones have options allowing them automatically connect back to preferred networks once they become available again. With this feature in place, users are thus able to avoid repeated manual actions when it comes to reconnecting with familiar networks hence saving time and data at large.

Devices Needed For A WLAN

The main piece of equipment you will need for setting up any kind of wireless local area network is a wireless router. This router acts as an intermediary between your home/office network and the Internet itself. On wireless routers instead of sending information over hard wires, radio waves are used instead. However there exist various kinds of wireless technologies including 80211a/b/g/n/ac/ax which operate at different speeds/ranges.

Understanding LAN Ports in WLAN

LAN ports play a significant role even in a setup where there’s no need for wires anymore. The LAN port or Ethernet port is used by devices to connect to the network via cable. It is found in computers and other network devices with an RJ-45 connector. Wired connections through a LAN port are sometimes preferred for stationary machines, as it may offer more stable and faster Internet access than wireless connectivity.

Finding WLAN Settings on Your Mobile Device

Device that will be sharing the data network:

Enter into settings: Open your “Settings” menu.

Tap Connections: Choose “Connections”.

Select Wi-Fi Router and Tethering: Here you can access your Wi-Fi router’s settings and turn on tethering so that you’re able to share your mobile data with others.

By understanding what WLAN means as well as its basic setup, one gets access to a seamless wireless connection at home, office or while in transit. If one is either setting up a new network or connecting to an existing one then this step by step guidelines shall make sure they have no problems when accessing the internet at all.

What's the difference between Wi-Fi and WLAN?
A WLAN connects local network nodes using radio technology rather than wired connections. Wi‑Fi is a specific type of WLAN that conforms to the IEEE standard 802.11 and relies on access points (APs) to connect to clients and IoT devices using the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and the 6 GHz band.
What are the 4 types of wireless networks?
There are four types of wireless networks -- wireless local area networks, wireless metropolitan area networks, wireless personal area networks and wireless wide area networks -- each with its own function. Below we discuss the different types of wireless networks and the various equipment and connections they require.
What is the WLAN used for?
A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building.

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