How does WLAN work? Explained in an understandable way

WLAN can be found in almost every household today, but how does WLAN actually work? In this article you will find out how the popular technology is made possible

WLAN: How the technology works

The abbreviation WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network, which means a wireless local area network. All you need for WLAN is a so-called router. You usually get this from your internet provider when you sign a DSL contract.

• Your WLAN router receives the Internet signal by cable via your telephone or Internet connection. It thereby receives the data from the Internet and forwards it via wireless connection to all connected devices.

• If the WLAN function has been activated on the router, the router is constantly transmitting: Depending on the technology used, the WLAN transmits on a frequency between 2400 and 5725 MHz. Other WLAN-capable devices such as smartphones and laptops recognise the WLAN network and can connect to the router by entering the WLAN password.

• Once the connection is established, the connected device gains access to the Internet. A router can supply several devices with WLAN at the same time. The clear advantage of WLAN: it works wirelessly and in the best case you have an Internet connection everywhere in your own four walls.

Speed of WLAN

The speed of your WLAN depends on several factors.

• For one thing, the WLAN standard used is relevant. The technology is constantly developing. The most common standards are 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax. With the last and most current standard, up to 9.6 Gbit/s are possible.

• However, these are only theoretical values. As a rule, the speed of your WLAN is not limited by the router, but by your Internet connection. The tariffs start at 16 MBit/s and end at 1 GBit/s.

• The distance to your router also plays a role: you can only use the WLAN signal up to a certain distance. If you move further away from your router, you will have connection problems. A WLAN repeater can help to improve the range.

• The end device with which you want to use the WLAN also plays a role. Outdated devices usually cannot use the entire bandwidth. Also, if you are connected to the WLAN with several end devices at the same time, the bandwidth of the individual devices is reduced.

So secure is WLAN

You don’t have to worry too much about the security of your WLAN these days. If you keep a few things in mind, your WLAN access is relatively safe.

• Encryption is the most important measure to protect your WLAN access. Newer routers use the WPA or WPA2 standard for this. WPA2 is more secure than WPA, but both are considered sufficiently secure. Older devices sometimes still use the WPE standard, but this is relatively easy to crack and should therefore no longer be used.
• Access to the WLAN should always be protected with a password so that no one from outside can penetrate the system. By creating a secure password that cannot be easily guessed by outsiders, you increase the security of your WLAN connection.