Wide area network (WAN)
Defination:
- A wide area network is a network that present over a large scale geographical area.
- A WAN connects different smaller networks, including local area networks and metro area networks. This ensures that computers and users in one location can communicate with computers that are present in other locations of the world.
Example:
- The easiest way to understand what a WAN is to think about the internet as a whole network, which is the world's largest WAN.
- The internet is a WAN because, it connects lots of smaller local area networks (LANs) or metro area networks (MANs).
Difference between LAN,MAN and WAN:
Parameter | LAN | MAN | WAN |
Ownership of Network |
Private |
Private or Public | Private or Public |
Speed |
High | Moderate | Low |
Application |
College, School, Hospital | Small towns, City | Country/Continent |
Design and Maintenance |
Easy | Difficult | Difficult |
Propagation Delay |
Short | Moderate | Long |
Congestion |
Less | More | More |