Types of Computer Network
In our Previous Post we have learnt about What is Computer Network and Why should we learn it. Now today we are gonna learn the Types of Computer Network.
There are mainly four types of Computer Network:
- PAN (Personal Area Network)
- LAN (Local Area Network)
- MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
- WAN (Wide Area Network)
PAN (Personal Area Network)
PAN is a short for Personal Area Network. Personal Area Network (PAN) is a computer network that interconnects devices centered around an individual person’s workspace.
PAN is commonly used in conjunction with a media center to allow streaming of content from a computer to home theater components. Personal area networks, sometimes called personal networks. Personal Networks are useful for various applications including file sharing, gaming and media streaming.
The reach of a PAN is typically about 30 feet (10 metres), so it can provide communications within a range as large as a room.
PANs are usually constructed with a wireless technology. Infrared and Bluetooth are two common examples of PAN.
LAN (Local Area Network)
LAN is a short for Local Area Network. A Local Area Network is a network that connects devices over a localized area like a home or office building.
A LAN connects computers and devices in small areas like homes, office buildings, and school campuses. Each of the computers in the network are connected through wires which connect to a central device called hub, switch, and router. In a LAN, you can share files and devices like printers, scanners etc., among other users in your network.
LAN are typically used for medium and small networks. Like PAN it is also a private network that is limited to geograpghic zone. Wifi networks are common example of LAN.
MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
MAN is a short for Metropolitan Area Network. A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a large computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus.
A Metropolitan Area Network is a computer network that interconnects users with the resources of computer in a geographic region of the size of a Metropolitan area. A MAN is larger than LAN but smaller than WAN.
The Metropolitan Area Network is a network which comprises of LANs (local area networks) that are connected to each other. As compared to WANs, MANs are more efficient, because the size is small, the data doesn’t have to travel the longer distance.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
WAN is a short for Wide Area Network. A WAN is a computer network that covers a large geographic area such as a city, country or even continents. A Wide Area Network connects small local area networks to create a large network that spans over multiple locations.
Wide Area Networks are used to connect Local Area Networks (LANs) and Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). WAN is connected using services, such as lease lines, Frame Relay, or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). The two main components of wide area network are routers and switches. Here the speed of data is low as compared to MAN and LAN.
