What is a LAN?

LAN - Local Area Network

A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance.

A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always implemented as a single IP subnet.

In addition to operating in a limited space, LANs are also typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization. They also tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring.

What is a WAN?

WAN - Wide Area Network

As the term implies, a WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth.

A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a router connects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN address.

A WAN differs from a LAN in several important ways. Most WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management. WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the longer distances.

LAN Design & Installation

Wired or Wireless, Networking Services can help you upgrade your current LAN for greater bandwidth and reliability or install a totally new LAN for a new facility. Wired or Wireless can tailor a cost-effective design using the latest LAN technologies, such as gigabit ethernet and layer-three switching. WIRED OR WIRELESS, INC has design experience with high-speed gigabit-ethernet switches from Cisco, HP, 3COM, Nortel, and others.

WAN Design & Installation

We design a new Wide-Area Network (WAN) to connect your headquarters location to your remote offices, and/or add a new site to an existing WAN. WIRED OR WIRELESS, INC regularly works with WAN technologies such as T1, frame relay, and VPN.

Call us today for more information.