Networking Basics: PAN and LAN

PAN (Personal Area Network)

• A network formed around a single individual
• Includes devices like computers, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants
• Allows communication between these devices and connecting to a digital network and the internet
• Often wireless (WPAN)
• Examples include cordless mice, keyboards, and Bluetooth systems
• Advantages:
  • Relatively secure and safe
• Disadvantages:
  • Limited range (up to 10 meters)
  • Potential for interference from other networks using the same radio bands

LAN (Local Area Network)

• A group of computers and peripheral devices connected in a limited area, such as a home, office, or school
• Popular for sharing resources like files, printers, games, and applications
• Commonly used as a transmission medium
• Consists of less than 5,000 devices spread across multiple buildings
• Characteristics:
  • Private network not controlled by external regulatory bodies
  • Operates at relatively higher speed compared to WAN systems
• Advantages:
  • Enables resource sharing (hard drives, printers, etc.)
  • Reduces hardware costs
  • Allows software sharing instead of individual licenses
  • Facilitates data transfer and messaging between networked computers
  • Centralized data management enhances security
  • Shares a single internet connection across multiple users
• Disadvantages:
  • High initial installation cost
  • Limited privacy as the LAN administrator can access personal data files
  • Vulnerability to unauthorized access if data is not secure
  • Requires continuous administration for software setup and hardware issues

WAN (Wide Area Network)

• Spreads across a large geographical area
• Often connects LANs using methods like phone lines and radio waves
• Typically limited to an enterprise or organization
• Characteristics:
  • Enables sharing of software files among all users
  • Used by organizations to create global integrated networks
• Advantages:
  • Covers a larger geographical area
  • Enables communication for geographically dispersed offices
  • Connects devices like mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and gaming consoles
  • WLAN connections use radio transmitters and receivers built into client devices
• Disadvantages:
  • High initial setup costs
  • Difficult to maintain
  • Requires skilled technicians and network administrators
  • Prone to errors due to wide coverage and various technologies
  • Requires significant time for issue resolution
  • Offers lower security compared to other network types

MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

• Covers an entire city, college campus, or small region
• Larger than a LAN, spanning multiple buildings or sites
• Depending on configuration, can cover areas from several miles to tens of miles
• Characteristics:
  • Typically covers cities and towns up to 50 km in range
  • Often uses optical fibers and cables for transmission
  • Provides data rates suitable for distributed computing applications
• Advantages:
  • Enables fast communication through high-speed carriers (e.g., fiber optic cables)
  • Supports large networks and greater access to WANs
  • Offers simultaneous data transmission in both directions
  • Encompasses portions or entire cities
• Disadvantages:
  • Requires significant cabling for connections
  • Maintaining security against hackers can be challenging

Other Network Types

• WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network): Connects devices wirelessly in a limited area (home, office, school)
• Storage Area Network (SAN): Allows consolidated, block-level data storage for devices like disk arrays, optical jukeboxes, and tape libraries
• System Area Network: Provides high-speed connections between servers and processors in local networks
• Passive Optical Local Area Network (POLAN): Integrates into structured cabling, supporting Ethernet protocols and network applications. Uses an optical splitter to create multiple signals from a single optical fiber
• Home Area Network (HAN): Connects computers in a home to share files, programs, printers, and peripherals
• Enterprise Private Network (EPN): Built and owned by businesses to securely connect multiple locations for resource sharing
• Campus Area Network (CAN): Interconnects LANs within a geographical area (like a university campus)
• Virtual Private Network (VPN): Uses a public network (internet) to securely connect remote sites or users to an enterprise's private network, providing privacy and security over public WiFi spots.