Types of Computer Networks Overview – PAN,LAN,WAN,VPN

The set of independent computer systems that are connected to each other to exchange information are computer networks. Within these are several types of computer networks.Networks are focused on the transmission of data from one system to another, whether between computers, servers, databases, and so on. According to your objective and scope, you can choose one type of computer network or the other.

Table of Contents

Personal Area Network (PAN)

The personal area network is one of the types of computer networks that are designed to exchange information between modern devices, such as smartphones or computers that allow to associate with PAN.

There are several ways to connect to the PAN network, the most common are by USB cable or by a FireWire connector . The best known variant of it is the WPAN or Wireless Personal Area Network present in wi-fi routers.Likewise, the PAN allows larger communications to be established, specifically, an uplink that is the same as an uplink connection to a satellite.

Local Area Network (LAN)

It is a network made up of two or more computers, and one of its main characteristics is that it can connect two computers in a home or thousands of them in a company.It is generally used in the field of government institutions, colleges and universities, since it is a standard in the computer world.

When we talk about wired local area networks, it is very likely that the Ethernet is used. It is the current protocol capable of transmitting up to a thousand megabits per second thanks to 1000BaseLX technology , which allows a connection up to 5,000 meters away, using the optimal single-mode fiber.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

It is one of the types of computer networks that communicates several different geographical areas, such as countries or continents. It can contain an almost unlimited number of LAN connections.To make it possible, it relies on a protocol called IP / MPLS or Multiprotocol Label Switch , a data transport mechanism that does not generate delays in sending thanks to the unification of the packets that contain it.

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Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

The Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) or metropolitan area network is a broadband telecommunications network that connects several LAN networks in a geographically close area. In general, it is each of the headquarters of a company that is grouped into a MAN by means of leased lines . For this, high-performance fiberglass-based routers come into play, which allow a performance greater than that of the Internet and the transmission speed between two distant points of connection is comparable to the communication that takes place in a LAN network.

Operators with international activities are responsible for making the MAN network infrastructure available. In this way, cities connected through Metropolitan Area Networks can count on Wide Area Networks (WAN) at a supraregional level and on an international level with Global Area Networks (GAN) .

Global Area Network (GAN)

A global network such as the Internet is called the Global Area Network (GAN), however it is not the only computer network of this nature. Companies that are also internationally active maintain isolated networks that include several WAN networks and thus achieve communication between the computers of the companies worldwide. GAN networks use the fiberglass infrastructure of Wide Area Networks and bundle them together using international submarine cables or satellite transmission.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A virtual private network (VPN) is a virtual communication network that uses the infrastructure of a physical network to link computer systems in a logical way. In this sense, it can be all the types of networks discussed above. The most common is to use the Internet as a means of transport , since this allows to establish the connection between all computers worldwide and, contrary to what happens with MAN or private WAN networks, it is available for free. Data transfer takes place within a virtual tunnel erected between a VPN client and a VPN server. ExpressVPN is often amongst some of the top VPN providers on the Internet.

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