A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a network that covers a metropolitan area or campus. It is larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN and uses the 802.6 standard for communication. Many cities are creating MANs to allow wireless access throughout the city.
A Metropolitan Area Network or MAN is a network designed to cover a metropolitan area or campus and provide network access throughout the area. Many college campus networks would be classified as MANs because they have multiple buildings spread out geographically, sometimes throughout the community.
A MAN is larger than a local area network (LAN) typically found in a corporate office or even some homes. MANs are also smaller than a Wide Area Network (WAN), which is a network that spans long distances, often between multiple corporate sites within different communities. For large companies, the wide area networks they employ can span the entire globe.
MAN networks use a different standard for communications; 802.6 as assigned by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which uses a different bus technology to transmit and receive data than most larger or smaller networks. This allows MAN networks to function more efficiently than they could if they were simply LAN networks linked together.
The IEEE is the body that sets standards for electrical or electronic technologies. Standard simply means that all elements used in conjunction with a published standard will use the same methodology. When the IEEE creates a standard, it gets input from interested third parties who want to bring a technology into the mainstream. The IEEE then uses a closed environment to test and ensure that the standard works as needed.
Many cities in the United States are creating or trying to create MANs to allow wireless access throughout the city. Philadelphia has worked with this technology, as have Central Park in New York City and Google® within the California community of Mountain View.
Due to the tremendous growth of wireless technology and the increase in the number of Internet and network users, the use of MAN networks will probably continue to grow in the future as well. One day perhaps there will be a network extending from coast to coast which, when connected to the same network, can be considered a metropolitan area network.
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