Types of network

Types of networks

There are 3 types of networks you need to be aware of: personal area networks(PANs), local area networks(LANs) and wide area networks(WANs).

Person area networks

PANs are centred around a single individual user and their devices. The technology involved is usually Bluetooth. A user might have their smart watch, phone, Bluetooth headphones and when in range their TV all connected.

Local and wide area networks

Both of these are methods for connecting multiple computers together.

Difference	Local area networks	Wide area networks
Geographic range	Small geographic range e.g. a school or office	Large geographic range e.g. connecting offices all over the country or world
Ownership of cables	Operators of a LAN generally own all the cables and hardware used in their network	WANs generally operate using 3rd party hardware. Primarily cables and hardware used by phone companies.

Wired and wireless networks

Networks can either be physically connected using wires or wirelessly connected using radio waves. Physical connections are generally made with ethernet cable.

Advantages of wireless	Disadvantages of wireless
Users can move around within range of the network and work from different places which cannot happen on a wired network.	Speeds are generally slower over wifi than over wired connections although the next generation of wifi may change this.
Its easy for users on the network to share files without the need for a port in their devices. They can also do this straight away such as uploading a photo just taken on your phone to social media.	The connections can be blocked or slowed by walls and other large objects.
It's easier to set up and to add new machines as no cables need to be laid. It's also cheaper for this reason.	Wireless networks are easier to hack into because you don't need to physically access the network. Appropriate encryption van minimise these risks.

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