In today's increasingly widespread use of smart devices, whether smartphones, laptops or smart home devices, connect wifi has become an integral part of our daily lives. However, the “wlan” option, which occasionally appears in the device setting interface, is often confusing: are the two different expressions of the same concept or are there substantive differences? This paper will provide an in-depth analysis of wifi's deep relationship with wlan, and look at the future of wifi's wifi-7 wireless network, taking into account the evolution and actual cases of the iee 802. 11 protocol。
Wifi and wlan: differences in technical standards
First, we need to define wlan. Wlan is the english abbreviation of the wireless local area network (wlan), a framework that covers a wide range of wireless communications technologies, with the core objective of interconnecting equipment within the local area network (lan) through the replacement of traditional wireless media by wireless signals. Wlan technology is based on the ieee 802. 11 series of standards, including various agreements such as 802. 11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be. Wifi, on the other hand, is the registered business name of the wi-fi union, which is technically based strictly on the ieee 802. 11 series. In short, wlan is the technical framework, and wifi is the commercial realization of that framework. This means that all wifi equipment is covered by wlan, but not all wian equipment uses wifi standards。
The difference between wifi and wlan from the network structure
A typical wlan network usually consists of four core components: sta (wireless terminal equipment, such as mobile phones, laptops), ap (wireless access points, responsible for signal transmission and agreement conversion), ds (distributive systems, connecting multiple ap-form extension services) and ac (wireless controllers, achieving centralized configuration and strategic management). In enterprise-level applications, the wlan network often uses a “skinned ap+ac” structure, which is managed centrally through the ac to achieve user authentication, spectrum analysis, load balance, etc. And the implementation of wifi technology is highly dependent on chip sets and protocols, such as hightower fastcoNnect 7800 chip, which is a collection of wifi 7, bluetooth 5. 3, nfc 3, supports dynamic frequency-band selection and 320 mhz hyperwide. The integration of this chip allows the laptop to be contained within 8 m by a 4k video transmission delay in the wifi 7 environment to meet the real-time interactive needs of vr/ar equipment。
Application scenario: differentiated demand from household to industry
In the home scenario, wifi technology is the dominant one, with the advantages of equipment compatibility, ease of deployment and cost-effectiveness. For example, the miax3600 router, using wifi 6 technology, supports ofdma and mu-mimo by connecting a large number of equipment at the same time to provide a stable high-speed wireless network experience. Wlan's needs, on the other hand, are more diverse in the business landscape and need to be met by high-density access, mobile roaming and safety isolation. For example, the industrial wlan system, deployed by a manufacturing enterprise, uses wifi 6e technology to achieve real-time positioning and remote control of agv vehicles in the workshop environment. In addition, in special scenarios such as subways and airports, the wlan network needs to combine a variety of technologies such as the mesh network, spectrum sharing, and edge computing to meet the needs of oversized users for connectivity。
Wifi 7: the future of wifi
Wifi technology is going through a rapid iterative process. From the first 802. 11-1997 standard in 1997 to the universal wifi 7, the evolution of wifi technology in 2024 has been characterized by three main features: frequency-band expansion, modem upgrading and increased space flow. Wifi 7 is expected to bring theoretical rates up to 30 gbps, with lower delays and higher energy efficiency. With the opening of the 6ghz band, the next generation wlan network will achieve a millisecond response to the home-wide smart device in the home scenario, the 5g+wifi 6e integration network in the industrial scenario, and the support of the tsn (time-sensitive network) in the city-level network for automatic driving. Understanding the difference between wifi and wlan not only helps consumers to make rational equipment choices, but also provides a more technical basis for enterprise-level networking. With the commercialization of wifi 7, wireless networks will bring wider development prospects。
With the spread of wifi 7, what new breakthroughs do you think will be made in the future in the application of family and business networks? You are welcome to share your views in the comment area。
