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User profile for user: Terrancehildon
Terrancehildon Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

What does WLAN on iPhone mean?

I've had a new iPhone that is a Chinese version and discover that I can't find any result searching for Wi-Fi in settings, instead there's the option of "WLAN". I noticed that across all of my other non Chinese version idevices they all have the option "Wi-Fi". Sometimes there're also some differences between the networks this iPhone scans and others. Why do Chinese version iPhones have "WLAN" instead of Wi-Fi? Is there anything that will affect use of this iPhone in other countries because of this difference?

Posted on May 9, 2018 6:11 AM

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User profile for user: Roger Wilmut1
Roger Wilmut1
User level: Level 10
131,326 points

Posted on May 9, 2018 6:24 AM

LAN is 'local area network' - your own network as opposed to the internet - and WLAN is 'Wireless local area network', so basically it's just terminology. Evidently the Chinese prefer not to use 'Wi-Fi' - for all we know it may mean something rude in Chinese.


As to whether the phone will work on Wifi in other countries than China, this may depend on what channels it is be set to use. China's useable channels are slightly different from those in Europe and the USA, but that doesn't mean that the phone won't access all of them. (See the coloured chart halfway down https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

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User profile for user: Roger Wilmut1
Roger Wilmut1
User level: Level 10
131,326 points

May 9, 2018 6:24 AM in response to Terrancehildon

LAN is 'local area network' - your own network as opposed to the internet - and WLAN is 'Wireless local area network', so basically it's just terminology. Evidently the Chinese prefer not to use 'Wi-Fi' - for all we know it may mean something rude in Chinese.


As to whether the phone will work on Wifi in other countries than China, this may depend on what channels it is be set to use. China's useable channels are slightly different from those in Europe and the USA, but that doesn't mean that the phone won't access all of them. (See the coloured chart halfway down https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

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What does WLAN on iPhone mean?

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