Good day everyone! In this article, I going to talk about what is Local Area Network (LAN) along with the Differences between LAN and other Types of networks that commonly used in our daily lives. Without further talking, let’s get started.

What is Local Area Network (LAN)?

In a simple way, a Local Area Network (LAN) is a group of computers and other devices that are connected together over a network cables and are all in the same location typically within a single building like an organization or home. However, what makes it different from other types of networks like Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)? All of them are groups of computers and other devices that are connected together over a network cables and are all in the same location.

Different between LAN and other Types of networks

LANs are typically confined within a small area usually one building.  However, that’s not a firm requirement. That area might be your home or small business and it could contain just a few devices. It might also be a much larger area, like an entire office building that contains hundreds or thousands of devices. But regardless of size, the single defining characteristic of a LAN is that it connects devices that are in a single, limited area.

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is similar to a local area network (LAN) but spans an entire city or campus. MANs are formed by connecting multiple LANs. Thus, MANs are larger than LANs but smaller than wide area networks (WAN). It is extremely efficient and provide fast communication via high-speed carriers, such as fiber optic cables. A MAN is ideal for many kinds of network users because it is a medium-size network. MANs are used to build networks with high data connection speeds for cities and towns. The working mechanism of a MAN is similar to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), but a MAN is not owned by a single organization. Like a WAN, a MAN provides shared network connections to its users.

A wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network, usually used for connecting computers, that spans a wide geographical area. WANs can be used to connect cities, states, or even countries. WANs are often used by larger corporations or organizations to facilitate the exchange of data, and in a wide variety of industries, corporations with facilities at multiple locations have embraced WANs. Increasingly, however, even small businesses are utilizing WANs as a way of increasing their communications capabilities.

Although WANs serve a purpose similar to that of local area networks (LANs), WANs are structured and operated quite differently. The user of a WAN usually does not own the communications lines that connect the remote computer systems; instead, the user subscribes to a service through a telecommunications provider. Unlike LANs, WANs typically do not link individual computers, but rather are used to link LANs. WANs also transmit data at slower speeds than LANs. WANs are also structurally similar to metropolitan area networks (MANs), but provide communications links for distances greater than 50 kilometers.

In conclusion, each types of networks, Local Area Network, Metropolitan Area Network And Wide Area Network has their own usage and purposes. If you wish to have a network in your office or home, I will highly recommend you to use Local Area Network. However, it is still possible for you to use Metropolitan Area Network or Wide Area Network if you think there is the need for you to do so.