IMFORMATION ABOUT LAN, MAN, WAN, WLAN

 

TITLE: IMFORMATION ABOUT LAN, MAN, WAN, WLAN

 

DESCRIPTION:

The Network allows computers to connect and communicate with different computers via any medium. LAN, MAN, and WAN are the three major types of networks designed to operate over the area they cover. There are some similarities and dissimilarities between them. One of the major differences is the geographical area they cover, i.e. LAN covers the smallest area; MAN covers an area larger than LAN and WAN comprises the largest of all. 

 

 

There are other types of Computer Networks also, like : 
 

• PAN (Personal Area Network)
• SAN (Storage Area Network)
• EPN (Enterprise Private Network)
• VPN (Virtual Private Network)

OUTCOMES:

Local Area Network (LAN) –

LAN or Local Area Network connects network devices in such a way that personal computers and workstations can share data, tools, and programs. The group of computers and devices are connected together by a switch, or stack of switches, using a private addressing scheme as defined by the TCP/IP protocol. Private addresses are unique in relation to other computers on the local network. Routers are found at the boundary of a LAN, connecting them to the larger WAN.

 

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) –

MAN or Metropolitan area Network covers a larger area than that of a LAN and smaller area as compared to WAN. It connects two or more computers that are apart but reside in the same or different cities. It covers a large geographical area and may serve as an ISP (Internet Service Provider). MAN is designed for customers who need high-speed connectivity. Speeds of MAN range in terms of Mbps. It’s hard to design and maintain a Metropolitan Area Network.

 

Wide Area Network (WAN) –

WAN or Wide Area Network is a computer network that extends over a large geographical area, although it might be confined within the bounds of a state or country. A WAN could be a connection of LAN connecting to other LANs via telephone lines and radio waves and may be limited to an enterprise (a corporation or an organization) or accessible to the public. The technology is high speed and relatively expensive.

There are two types of WAN: Switched WAN and Point-to-Point WAN. WAN is difficult to design and maintain. Similar to a MAN, the fault tolerance of a WAN is less and there is more congestion in the network. A Communication medium used for WAN is PSTN or Satellite Link. Due to long-distance transmission, the noise and error tend to be more in WAN.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) – a network that connects two or more devices using a wireless distribution method and provides access to the public Internet. Most WLANs are based on Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, otherwise known as Wi-Fi.

A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building.