A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network of computers exchanging data over a large area or distance, with the Internet being the most common example. Each computer on the WAN has a unique IP address and communication is done using protocols. The Internet’s architecture is decentralized, making it difficult to destroy. Smaller networks within the WAN include MANs, CANs, and LANs, which can become a WAN if connected over the Internet. Bluetooth technology can also contribute to a WAN.
A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a communications network made up of computers that are not local to each other, exchanging data over a large area or over a great distance. The most common example is the Internet, although a WAN need not be global to qualify as a wide area network. Since computer acronyms have become virtual words, the terminology “WAN” is often used in the public sector, albeit redundantly. For those unfamiliar with these acronyms, the addition of the word “network” can be a reminder of what a WAN is, so while this article uses the common term, the correct term is WAN, pronounced as done with a “W”.
Computers interact over a wide area network using a set of standards or protocols for communication. Each computer on the WAN is assigned a unique address known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address. When a computer sends a request over the WAN, it is routed to a specific server that hosts the requested information. The server responds by sending the information back to the IP address of the requesting computer.
The architecture of the Internet, the more familiar WAN, is not centralized by design, making it nearly impossible to destroy. Like a freeway system in a major metropolis, if a freeway or information superhighway is removed, data traffic is automatically rerouted around the fault through alternative routes. Highways, in the case of the Internet, are actually leased telephone lines and a combination of other technologies and structures including smaller networks connected by the wide area network to become part of the whole.
Some examples of smaller networks in the WAN include Municipal Area Network (MAN), Campus Area Network (CAN), and Local Area Network (LAN). MANs provide connectivity throughout a city or regional area for public Internet access, while CANs provide connectivity to students and faculty for on-site resources and online access. LANs can be private or public, but are usually private networks with optional online access. Your home or office network is a good example of a LAN.
A LAN can also become a WAN if, for example, a company based in both Los Angeles and Chicago connects its two LANs over the Internet. This geographic distance would qualify the network as a WAN. Connected LANs can use encryption software to keep their communications private from the public internet, by creating a virtual private network (VPN). This technology of creating a secure, encrypted channel through the Internet to connect LANs is sometimes called tunneling.
A Personal Area Network (PAN) is created by Bluetooth technology to wirelessly connect personal devices for interoperability. You can use Bluetooth to send print jobs from a laptop to a printer, for example, or to synchronize a personal digital assistant with your computer. Bluetooth can also be used to share Internet access between devices, and thus also participates in the many technologies that can contribute to a wide area network, more properly known as a WAN.
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