#01 Network Types

Go Back

Different Networks

Netflix-WAN Spotify-WAN Companies secure portal-LAN Youtube-WAN Wireless barcode scanner-PAN Site prints-LAN

Instagram-WAN Email-WAN (possible LAN) Dedicated network-LAN

Network Types

PAN (Personal Area Network)

Connects personal devices to each other so the range of a PAN is only a few centimeters to a few meters. One of the biggest examples of PAN is bluetooth with usually connects to another device like a phone or desktop. PAN can be wired or wireless with wired being things such as USB and wireless being bluetooth or even wifi.

One of the security risk that comes with PAN is that if one of the devices that connects is unsecure then this could lead to the other devices that it is connected to also getting the same insecirities of the one that is affected.

PAN is a good network for short range connections, in a longer range something else will need to be used since PAN can only work in a short range area.

Alternatives: LAN, WAN

(W)LAN ((Wireless)Local Area Network)

A LAN is a collection of devices within an area such as a house which all connect to a switch which connects to a router that enables the devices to be able to connected to things such as the internet. A wired connection is through things such as ethernet which connects from the router to the device whilst wireless is things such as Wi-Fi.

If a person got onto the network usually through logging into the router then they can do malicious things to the network which could lead to lose of an internet connection or getting sensative data. One way to help with this is changing the default password that comes with routers since the default password is insecure and can be brute forced pretty easily.

A LAN is good on a small network and is quite secure especially compared to PAN.

Alternatives: WAN

(W)WAN ((Wireless)Wide-Area Network)

A unified network comprimised of multiple different LANs being able to connect to each other so to interact with each of the other LAN networks. The internet is an example of how WAN works with multiple different LANs connecting to each other to be able interact with each other.

Usually

CAN (Campus Area Network)

MAN (Metropolital Area Network)

SAN (Storage Area Network)