Network Types

     Networks can be citywide or even international, using both wired and wireless connections. I'm sure most of us know about local area networks(LAN) and wireless local area networks(WLANs); but there are more such as home networks, personal area networks(PANs), metropolitan area networks(MANs) and wide area networks(WANs). LANs connect computers or devices that are in the vicinity of less than a mile. A LAN can be linked to other LANs or larger networks with a network gateway. WLANs use radio frequency(RF) to connect computers or devices through wireless access point. This access point interprets incoming RFs and routes communications to appropriate devices. Home networks are simply LANs used in homes. PANs works in a very small area, in other words, your immediate surroundings. Examples of such application are PDAs and cell phones. MANs are basically LANs with extended range of up to 100 miles. Last but not least, WANs are countrywide and worldwide networks with span distances greater than 100 miles. The widest of all WANs is the Internet, which spans the entire globe.

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