Wireless local area networks (WLANs) connect devices within a local area using radio waves instead of wires. They became popular in the 1980s-1990s as a way to share resources like printers and storage over a local area network (LAN). Almost all modern WLANs use the 802.11 standard and operate in the 2.4GHz or 5GHz spectrum. A typical WLAN consists of an access point that connects wireless clients like laptops and smartphones to a wired network backbone. WLANs provide flexibility but come with challenges around interference and security.