Brief Summary
This video explains different types of computer networks based on their size and geographical coverage. It covers PANs for personal device connections, LANs for local connections within a building, CANs for connecting multiple LANs in a limited area like a campus, MANs for city-wide networks, SANs for dedicated high-speed data storage, and WANs as the largest networks spanning countries or the globe, exemplified by the internet.
- PAN: Personal Area Network for connecting personal devices.
- LAN: Local Area Network for connecting devices within a building.
- CAN: Campus Area Network connecting multiple LANs in a limited area.
- MAN: Metropolitan Area Network spanning a city or town.
- SAN: Storage Area Network for dedicated data storage.
- WAN: Wide Area Network spanning large geographical areas.
A personal area network (PAN) is a small-scale network designed for personal use, connecting devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. These devices communicate wirelessly via technologies such as Bluetooth, infrared, and near-field communication (NFC), or through wired connections like USB cables. PANs are commonly used for transferring small files, including music, photos, and calendar appointments.
A local area network (LAN) comprises computers, servers, switches, and printers within a single building, such as an office or home, in close proximity to each other. The most common type is an Ethernet LAN, where devices connect via Ethernet cables using a switch. A wireless LAN (WLAN) achieves the same connectivity as a LAN but uses wireless communication, typically involving a Wi-Fi router or wireless access point for devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones. Essentially, a WLAN is a LAN without the need for physical cables.
A campus area network (CAN) connects two or more LANs within a limited geographical area. For example, a university might use a CAN to link multiple buildings, each housing different departments with their own LANs. These buildings are then interconnected to form a larger campus-wide network, facilitating communication and resource sharing across the institution.
A metropolitan area network (MAN) is larger than a CAN, spanning multiple buildings within a city or town. MANs typically use high-speed connections, such as fibre optic cables, to enable fast data and resource sharing across the metropolitan area. This type of network provides a robust infrastructure for communication and data exchange within a city.
A storage area network (SAN) is a specialised, high-speed network designed for storing and providing access to large volumes of data. It is a dedicated network consisting of multiple disk arrays, switches, and servers, primarily used for data storage. SANs operate independently of local area network traffic, avoiding bottlenecks that can occur in LANs, as they are partitioned off as a separate network.
A wide area network (WAN) is the largest type of network, encompassing multiple LANs, CANs, and MANs across a broad geographical area, such as a country, continent, or even the entire globe. The internet is a prime example of a WAN, connecting countless networks worldwide.
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Transcript
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0:00 Hello everyone, in this video we're going to talk about the different network types. And these network types depend on how large they are and how much of an area they cover geographically.. Now most people who have a basic knowledge of networking are familiar with terms such as LAN and WAN. But in addition to those there are a few more network types that a lot of people are not familiar with. So that's what we're going to talk about in this video. So let's first talk about a PAN. PAN stands for personal area network. Now this is a type of network that is used on a personal level. It's a small network that is used for connecting devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. And they connect to each other by using wireless technologies
0:49 such as bluetooth, infrared, and near field communication or NFC. But they can also connect by using a wired connection such as a USB cable. PANs are generally used for transferring small files such as music, photos, calendar appointments, and so on. And the next type of network is a LAN . Now LAN stands for local area network. A local area network is a group of devices such as computers, servers, switches, and printers which are located in the same building, such as in an office or in a home. In other words, in close proximity to each other. The most common type of LAN is an Ethernet LAN, where two or more computers are connected to
1:39 Ethernet cables using a switch. Now a WLAN or wireless local area network is a local area network that uses wireless communication instead of wired communication. A wireless LAN is defined as having at least two devices that use wireless communication to form a local area network. A wireless LAN will typically have a Wi-Fi router or a wireless access point for wireless devices such as laptops, tablets, wireless desktops, and smartphones, to communicate. So in simple terms, a wireless LAN is a LAN but without using cables. And the next network type is a CAN.
2:25 Now CAN stands for campus area network. A CAN is a network that joins two or more LANs together within a limited area. So for example a CAN could be a university that has multiple buildings in the same general area that are connected to each other to form a larger network. So these buildings could be different departments on a University's property with each building having their own LAN in their department. And then the buildings are connected to form a campus area network. And the next network type is a MAN. MAN stands for metropolitan area network. Now this is a larger network than a CAN. It's a network that spans over several buildings in a city or
3:16 town. MANs are typically connected using a high speed connection such as fiber optic cable. It's a high speed network that gives the ability for sharing data and resources within a city. And the next one is a SAN or storage area network. Now a SAN is a special high speed network that stores and provides access to large amounts of data. Basically what a SAN is, is that it's a dedicated network that's used for data storage. This network consists of multiple disk arrays, switches, and servers. One of the main reasons for using a SAN is because SANs are not affected by network traffic such as bottlenecks that can happen in
4:02 a local area network. And that's because SANs aren't really a part of a local area network, it's partitioned off. It's a network all by itself. And then finally there's the wide area network or WAN. A WAN is the largest type of network. A WAN includes multiple LANs, CANs, and MANs. It's a network that spans over a large geographical area such as a country continent or even the entire globe. A good example of a wide area network is the internet.
