Local area networks and wide area networks
There are two classifications of A group of interconnected computers/devices.:
- Local area network. A network of computers that covers a small area, eg a school or college.
- Wide area network. A network that spans across a building, buildings or even countries, eg the internet.
LANs
A LAN is a network that is geographically confined to a single site. Examples include networks employed by small businesses, small organisations, schools, colleges, universities and in homes. LANs are connected by a wired medium such as cables, or by a wireless medium such as A method of connecting to the internet wirelessly using radio waves..
LANs are owned and maintained by the organisation.
WANs
A wide area network (WAN) is a network that is spread over a wide geographical area. It can cover more than one site, or be spread across a country, or even the world. WANs are usually made up of two or more LANs.
Organisations that have more than one office or branch, such as banks, tend to use a WAN. The WAN allows the head office to communicate and share Units of information. In computing there can be different data types, including integers, characters and Boolean. Data is often acted on by instructions. with the sub-offices and branches. Communication is done through national telephone infrastructures or via wireless transmission. Each office or branch has its own LAN that is connected to others using the WAN.
The A global network connecting millions of computers. is essentially a huge, international WAN.
More guides on this topic
- Decomposition and abstraction - Edexcel
- Algorithms - Edexcel
- Further algorithms - Edexcel
- Truth tables - Edexcel
- Binary and data representation - Edexcel
- Computers - Edexcel
- Programming languages - Edexcel
- Network security and cybersecurity - Edexcel
- Encryption - Edexcel
- Environmental, ethical and legal concerns - Edexcel