- Important Words
Computer
Network
A computer
network is a set of connected computers.
Computers on a network are called nodes.
The connection between computers can be done via cabling, most commonly the Ethernet
cable, or wirelessly through radio waves. Connected
computers can share resources, like access to the Internet, printers, file
servers, and others. A network is a multipurpose connection, which allows a
single computer to do more.
Types Of
Computer Network
1.Personal Area Network (PAN)
A personal
area network (PAN) is a computer network for interconnecting
devices centered on an individual person's workspace.
A PAN provides data transmission amongst devices such
as computers, smartphones, tablets and personal digital
assistants. PANs can be used for communication amongst the personal devices
themselves, or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet where
one master device takes up the role as gateway. A PAN may be carried over
wired computer buses such as USB. © en.wikipedia.org
If there is a personal
area network (PAN) that is carried over wired computer buses such as USB, there
is also a wireless version of it. It is called Wireless Personal Area
Network.
A WPAN (wireless personal area network) is a personal area network - a network for interconnecting devices centered around an individual person's workspace - in which the connections are wireless. Typically, a wireless personal area network uses some technology that permits communication within about 10 meters - in other words, a very short range. One such technology is Bluetooth, which was used as the basis for a new standard, IEEE 802.15.
2. Local Area
Network (LAN)
A local
area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects
computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory,
university campus or office building. By contrast,
a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a larger geographic
distance, but also generally involves leased telecommunication circuits.
Let’s now proceed
to its wireless version…
A wireless
local area network (WLAN) is a wireless distribution method for
two or more devices that use high-frequency radio waves and often include an
access point to the Internet. A WLAN allows users to move around the coverage
area, often a home or small office, while maintaining a network connection.
3. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
A metropolitan area
network (MAN) is a computer network that interconnects
users with computer resources in a geographic area or region larger than
that covered by even a large local area network (LAN) but smaller
than the area covered by a wide area network (WAN). The term MAN is
applied to the interconnection of networks in a city into a single larger
network which may then also offer efficient connection to a wide area network.
It is also used to mean the interconnection of several local area networks in a
metropolitan area through the use of between them. © en.wikipedia.org
Wait... if there's a WPAN and WLAN,
is there a WMAN?
OH
HELL YES! Let's proceed to that...
↓
Wireless
metropolitan area networks (WMANs) enable users to establish wireless
connections between multiple locations within a metropolitan area (for example,
between multiple office buildings in a city or on a university campus), without
the high cost of laying fiber or copper cabling and leasing lines. In addition,
WMANs can serve as backups for wired networks, should the primary leased lines
for wired networks become unavailable. WMANs use either radio waves or infrared
light to transmit data. Broadband wireless access networks, which provide users
with high-speed access to the Internet, are in increasing demand.
2. Wide Area Network (WAN)
A
wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network or computer network
that extends over a large geographical distance/ place. Wide area networks are
often established with leased telecommunication circuits.
The largest of all, will this have a wireless one?
Yes!
It has as well! Let's discuss it...
Wireless Wide Area Network
(WMAN)
WWANs
have been in place since the early 1980s for voice communication, and since the
early 1990s for data communication. Access to these networks requires users to
sign an agreement with the company that operates the network they are
interested in. This agreement will allow them to use the wireless network for a
fee, which is often calculated by the number of minutes the user is connected
to the network, or more recently, by the amount of data transferred over the
network. This fee helps the service provider cover the cost of building and
maintaining the wide area network, as well as the cost required to purchase the
spectrum used for communication.
