WiFi · Networking
WLAN
Also known as: Wireless LAN, Wireless Local Area Network
The wireless portion of a local area network — the collection of access points, SSIDs, and RF infrastructure that provides wireless connectivity within a physical space.
WLAN and Wi-Fi are often used interchangeably, but WLAN is the broader term. A WLAN is the wireless network layer as a whole: the access points, their configuration, the SSIDs they broadcast, and how they connect back to the wired network.
In a properly designed network, the WLAN is a functional extension of the wired LAN rather than a separate thing. Wireless clients connect to an AP and end up on the same VLAN they'd be on if they plugged in with a cable. The wireless network should be transparent — applications shouldn't know or care whether traffic is coming from wired or wireless clients.
The WLAN is typically segmented: a corporate SSID for managed devices (on the corporate VLAN), a guest SSID for visitors (on an isolated VLAN with internet access only), and possibly a separate SSID for IoT devices. Each SSID maps to a VLAN; the AP tags traffic appropriately before it hits the switch.