What is Wide-Area Network (WAN) Technology? | Fortinet

Understanding LAN and WAN

A local-area network (LAN) is a group of computers that are all located in the same small area and that all share the same connection. For example, the computers used by employees in a single office location would most likely be connected with a LAN. Another example of a LAN could be a network created by a local café that customers must sign in to first so that they can access the internet. The café creates this rather than giving customers its Wi-Fi password. 

As per the WAN definition, it’s made possible by connecting multiple LANs.  

Many people confuse LANs with another networking term, Ethernet. However, Ethernet is a network protocol that controls how data is transmitted over a LAN and is referred to as the IEEE 802.3 protocol. LANs are made possible because of Ethernet technologies. The main difference between Ethernet and LAN is that the Ethernet’s function is decentralized and that of the LAN is centralized.  

Additional acronyms for networks abound. A personal area network (PAN) is a network that covers a very small area, such as an enclosed room. The most popular wireless PAN network technologies are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while USB is the most popular form of wired PAN. A wireless headset, printer, or smartphone are all individual components that comprise a network. Indeed, many peripheral devices can actually be classified as computers because they have computing, storage, and network capabilities.  

A metropolitan area network (MAN) connects nodes in the same metro area. For example, a New York City company might have operations in buildings located not just in Manhattan but also nearby in Brooklyn and Jersey City, New Jersey, requiring its own network. For organizations to build this type of network, they use microwave transmission technology, but buildings can also be wired together using fiber-optic cable. 

Yet another term is an internet area network (IAN). An IAN is a communications network that connects data and voice endpoints within a cloud environment over internet protocol (IP), replacing an existing LAN or WAN. In an IAN, a managed services provider hosts all communications and applications services in the cloud. An IAN platform essentially provides users with secure access to information anytime, anywhere via the internet.