WANs and LANs
Definitions, differences and uses
LAN
LAN stands for Local Area Network. A LAN is a network that connects clients with a topology. These networks can be connected to a WAN, such as the Internet. A LAN can be built quite inexpensively with hubs and Ethernet cables.
Uses:
LANs can be used to share files, play games with multiplayer and use printers shared with multiple computers. A good example is a school network. The school needs to send data like lessons between classroom computers, and save data to a centralised location. Also, the network needs to have limited access, to prevent malicious people attempting to break the network.
Pros:
Fast data sharing between computers, and is safe from people not in the network.
Cons:
Can only share within the network, so the teachers at home can't access their files.
WAN
WAN stands for Wide Area Network. A WAN consists of multiple LANs, connected together. WANs span large geographical areas, such as multiple counties. WANs can be used to send a lot of different types of data, such as images etc.
Uses:
A good example is the Internet. The internet consists of many LANs, or the webservers, connected together with ISPs.
Pros:
Enables connections between a lot of computers, which easily enables a lot of data to be shared.
Cons:
Anyone in the area can normally access the WAN, which can lead to "hacking" etc.