Types of Network- LAN,WAN,MAN and PAN

Depending upon the geographical area covered by a network, it is classified into three main categories:-

a) PAN (personal area network)

b) LAN (local area network)

c) MAN (metropolitan area Network)

d) WAN (wide area network)

Personal area network

Network spanning an area of several metres around an individual are called personal area networks. Personal area network includes devices such as laptop computers personal digital assistants and wireless connections.

The purpose of this network is to transfer files including emails and calendar appointments, digital photos and music. Personal area network can be constructed with cables or be wireless. USB and firewire technologies often linked together a wide band while wireless personal area networks typically used bluetooth or infrared connections.

The range of personal area network is usually small which varies from less than 10 metres or about 30 feet. Thus, personal area network is a subset of local area network that supports one personal instead of a group.

Local area network

It is a network of computers that operates in a very small geographic area to few kilometres. It is used to link devices in a single office building or a campus. 

A typical land has the following characteristics:-

1. Discover small geographical area up to 5 to 6 km

2. It is used to link devices in a single office, building or a campus.

3. A lan is used to connect the computers and other network devices so that the devices can communicate with each other to share the resources. 

4. Cables like twisted pair, coaxial or fibre optic are used as communication medium.

5. The resources to be shared can be a hardware device like printer and software like any data file.

6. Local area networks are easy to install and maintain.

7. Troubleshooting is easy.

8. The various devices in local area network are connected to a central device known as HUB.

9. Local area network offers high speed data transmission.

10. Different types of topologies such as bus, rings, star, tree etc. are used for local area networks.

11. A common example of local area network found in many business organisation employing link of tasks related computers, e.g. accounting PC's, finance PC's, Administrative PC's etc.

Metropolitan area Network

A metropolitan area Network is a network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographical area or region larger than that covered by even a larger local area network but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network. The term is applied to the interconnection of network in a city.

A typical metropolitan area Network has the following characteristics:

1. Metropolitan area Network are extension of local area network spreading over an entire City.

2. It may be a single network such as a cable TV Network covering entire City or a group of several local area networks.

3. Metropolitan area networks are mainly owned by large organisation to interconnect all the branches across the city.

10. It may be used to share the resources between two or more local area networks. 

11. A metropolitan area Network may be wholly owned and operated by a private company or maybe a service provided by a public company.

12. A common example of metropolitan area Network is cable TV Network and telephone company that provides a high speed DSL line to customers.

Wide area networks

A wide area networks from was a large geographic area such as country continent or even the whole world to share data and resources it contains several local area network and metropolitan area networks.

A typical wide area network has the following characteristics:-

1. Why did the networks provide interconnectivity without any distance limit.

2. Since wide area network spans whole of the world, it may utilise public, leased a private communication devices.

3. It provides long distance transmission of data, including text, images, audio and video information over large geographical areas.

4. It can be used to interconnect two or more local area networks for wide area networks.

5. They are used for transferring large blocks of data between their users.

6. Linking medium used vary from telephone line to satellites.

7. Internet is an example of world's biggest wide area network.