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> From the "WLAN" café Is there any other country which calls WiFi as WLAN? I have traveled to many countries in Europe but I assume Germany, France and Luxemb

> From the "WLAN" café Is there any other country which calls WiFi as WLAN? I have traveled to many countries in Europe but I assume Germany, France and Luxembourg seem to be the only countries that use this term.

pm3003 11y ago
Never heard it in France (in France you usually use the word LAN or WLAN for local networks, as it should be).
- denzil_correa 11y ago
  I think the proximity of the place I visited in France to the German border might have a role in the "WLAN" term usage.
- eis 11y ago
  Maybe that's because it stands for Local Area Network? WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) are not long distance networks so it's a correct term. A WiFi network is a WLAN but not all WLANs are WiFi networks. WiFi is a trademark used for certified devices that adhere to the rules defined by the WiFi-Alliance consortium.
  - detaro 11y ago
    Is a WiFi powered directional link between two towers really a WLAN? ;)
    - eis 11y ago
      Yes, unless your towers are that far away from each other that the distance would be considered a "large geographical distance" making it a WAN (Wide Area Network).
- deleted 11y ago
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pluma 11y ago
Just a sidenote: I think the reason the term "WiFi" never caught on in Germany is that 1. It sounds really awkward in German (most speakers will pronounce the "W" as in German, i.e. "Vi-Fi"). 2. WLAN is easier to say (think "V-LAN"). 3. It can easily be confused with "HiFi" (which, btw, is commonly pronounced as "Hi-Fee" for some reason, creating additional confusion about the acceptable pronunciation of "WiFi" in German). Another interesting(?) note: unlike WLAN, LAN is commonly pronounced with a long "a" in German. I'm pretty sure I've heard the word "LAN" used a lot less since WiFi became so widely used and most people seem to just use the German word "Netzwerk" (network) or even simply "Netz" (net). Confusingly, a lack of "Netz" ("Ich hab kaum Netz" -- "I have barely any net") can also refer to mobile connections (because "Handynetz" = cellular network -- and yes "Handy" is a faux-English word commonly used in German to refer to mobile phones because marketing is stupid).
- mjlee 11y ago
  I'd guess HiFi is pronounced Hi-Fee as it takes the "fi" sound from "High Fidelity".
  - pluma 11y ago
    Sure, but then WiFi would be expected to be pronounced the same -- yet I've never heard it pronounced as "Wi-Fee" in English.
    - roel_v 11y ago
      Everyone except the British call it 'wee-fee' in Europe (well, I can't claim to have a representative sample for everyone, but at least among those I've heard about it) I was already starting to think that I was the weird one.
- deleted 11y ago
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- denzil_correa 11y ago
  > 1. It sounds really awkward in German (most speakers will pronounce the "W" as in German, i.e. "Vi-Fi"). This would hold true for Dutch too but I don't think WLAN is used in the Netherlands. Permanent residents may confirm.

pm3003 11y ago

Never heard it in France (in France you usually use the word LAN or WLAN for local networks, as it should be).

denzil_correa 11y ago
I think the proximity of the place I visited in France to the German border might have a role in the "WLAN" term usage.
eis 11y ago
Maybe that's because it stands for Local Area Network? WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) are not long distance networks so it's a correct term. A WiFi network is a WLAN but not all WLANs are WiFi networks. WiFi is a trademark used for certified devices that adhere to the rules defined by the WiFi-Alliance consortium.
- detaro 11y ago
  Is a WiFi powered directional link between two towers really a WLAN? ;)
  - eis 11y ago
    Yes, unless your towers are that far away from each other that the distance would be considered a "large geographical distance" making it a WAN (Wide Area Network).
deleted 11y ago
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pluma 11y ago

Just a sidenote: I think the reason the term "WiFi" never caught on in Germany is that 1. It sounds really awkward in German (most speakers will pronounce the "W" as in German, i.e. "Vi-Fi"). 2. WLAN is easier to say (think "V-LAN"). 3. It can easily be confused with "HiFi" (which, btw, is commonly pronounced as "Hi-Fee" for some reason, creating additional confusion about the acceptable pronunciation of "WiFi" in German). Another interesting(?) note: unlike WLAN, LAN is commonly pronounced with a long "a" in German. I'm pretty sure I've heard the word "LAN" used a lot less since WiFi became so widely used and most people seem to just use the German word "Netzwerk" (network) or even simply "Netz" (net). Confusingly, a lack of "Netz" ("Ich hab kaum Netz" -- "I have barely any net") can also refer to mobile connections (because "Handynetz" = cellular network -- and yes "Handy" is a faux-English word commonly used in German to refer to mobile phones because marketing is stupid).

mjlee 11y ago
I'd guess HiFi is pronounced Hi-Fee as it takes the "fi" sound from "High Fidelity".
- pluma 11y ago
  Sure, but then WiFi would be expected to be pronounced the same -- yet I've never heard it pronounced as "Wi-Fee" in English.
  - roel_v 11y ago
    Everyone except the British call it 'wee-fee' in Europe (well, I can't claim to have a representative sample for everyone, but at least among those I've heard about it) I was already starting to think that I was the weird one.
deleted 11y ago
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denzil_correa 11y ago
> 1. It sounds really awkward in German (most speakers will pronounce the "W" as in German, i.e. "Vi-Fi"). This would hold true for Dutch too but I don't think WLAN is used in the Netherlands. Permanent residents may confirm.