What is the difference between LAN and WAN

 The world of networks is very wide and expanding day after day, so we had to enter and delve into this field, seeking to develop it as much as possible to achieve maximum benefit. From this idea, various networks began to be used, such as LANs and WANs. What is the difference between them? This is what we will learn about now.

What is a LAN

The Local Area Network is a computer network that covers a small geographic area such as a home, office, school, or a small group of buildings. This network allows computers and devices close to each other to communicate, share tasks, and complete tasks. It consists only of everyday devices (such as home computers, laptops, disks, and printers) in addition to routers, internet cables, or wireless cards. That is, it can be said that their use is mostly concentrated in homes.

What is a WAN

It is an acronym for Wide Area Network, which means wide area network or broadband network. It is used to connect computers that are not close to each other. Electronic networks can be connected to open networks, allowing small home or office networks to connect to larger networks such as those between countries or states. Most WANs are connected to public networks such as the telephone system or via communication lines.

The difference between LAN and WAN

Geographic Coverage: A local network covers a small area such as a university campus, commercial building, or home network. While the wide network covers a much larger geographical range such as countries and states. A wide area network is a group of local networks connected to each other by a set of special devices and technologies.

Connectivity: To create a local area network that connects workstations and printers to a switch using Ethernet cables by means of algorithms to detect and store connected devices. The cables used to connect workstations can be coaxial, copper, or fiber. Computer peripherals such as printers can be shared on the same LAN, but not on other LANs, so each LAN within the WAN will need a separate set of hardware resources. WAN is an interconnected system of local area networks. To create the WAN, we need additional hardware, such as a router, to direct the packets that are delivered to it by the switch. As for the Wi-Fi alternative in local networks; WANs use WiMAX technology.

Speed: Data transfer speed over LAN and WAN depends on data transfer capabilities, hardware and cable quality. Having computers within range of a local network that is physically connected to a router is the fastest way to transfer data between computers in a local network. In addition, the use of modern cables ensures better data transfer speed.

As for the transmission speed in the wide area network, it is affected by a number of different factors, such as the different equipment in the local networks connected to the wide area network, in addition to the type of cables used in the network itself. These networks are usually slower than local networks due to the large transmission distance, and high quality submarine copper cables are used to assist in the transmission of data between countries.

Wired and wireless transmission: Wireless data transmission via Wi-Fi reduces the transmission speed significantly, as the wireless transmission speed is limited and less than the wired transmission speed. Wireless transmission is also less reliable as the signal is exposed to some interference such as radio waves and others. Therefore, if there is a need for high speeds within the local or wide networks, especially for business and gaming purposes, it is preferable for the person to be physically connected to the network.

Security and protection: The protection of the computer increases if it is not connected to any network. However, local networks are more secure than wide area networks, and the more people connected to the network, the greater the possibility of creating a threat or danger in the network.

Expansion: To add a workstation or printer to the local network all that is required is a network card that plugs into an ethernet cable and a switch port that automatically picks up the new workstation.

As for expanding the wide network, it includes adding a new local network, and purchasing another router if the existing routers do not contain additional serial ports. An additional communications link from the service provider is required, and additional investment in powerful transceivers is required if the new local connection is hundreds of miles away, as this length can leave the connection vulnerable to interference and noise.

Cost: Due to the simplicity of configuration and adding workstations to the local network, the hardware requirements are much lower when setting up the local network, and thus it is less expensive than a wide area network that requires many requirements and devices.