WAN, WLAN, MAN and LAN: what is each and how are they different

 There are many terms related to networks and the Internet that we can see. When we navigate different devices and protocols come into play that are necessary. Some of them may raise questions for users. There are terms like WAN, WLAN, MAN or LAN that are sometimes confused. We are going to talk about this in this article. We are going to explain what each of these three terms is and see their differences.

WAN, WLAN, MAN AND LAN

We are going to talk about what each of these network protocols is. We are going to explain what is WAN, WLAN, MAN and LAN. In this way, users will know how to differentiate when they see these terms.

What does WAN mean

Let's start to explain what WAN means . We could say that it is a network of networks. In other words, it is a large network to which different local networks are connected. Of course, it must be borne in mind that all the devices that compose it do not have to be physically in the same place.

WANs are typically built by organizations and companies to have a private network. Keep in mind that nowadays they are not as necessary as before, since the Internet speed is considerably higher wlan properties.

A WAN network could cover a distance of even thousands of kilometers. Hence what we mentioned earlier that the devices did not have to be physically in one place.

They allow LAN networks to be connected with other types of networks. In this way we can connect with teams that are in another part of the world.

Today all routers have a WAN port . It is the port through which our router obtains the services of the Internet operator that we have. The speed of that port will depend on the technology we use (ADSL or VDSL, for example).

What does MAN mean

We have something similar to WAN but using less capacity in terms of distance. It comes from the acronym in English Metropolitan Area Network . It offers great coverage, but less than WAN. They use different technological standards that allow them to cover a greater distance.

It can be both wireless and wired . In the case of using the wireless option it is called WMAN.

This can be used for example to link the networks of several buildings, a university campus or even a city. It does not reach the thousands of kilometers that we mentioned earlier.

What does WLAN mean

By WLAN we mean a wireless local area network . Basically it is to connect between devices that are within a radius.

To connect a device in WLAN we will need to have a compatible network card, as well as a computer that provides the connection, such as a router. Today practically all mobiles can connect to this type of network. It is what we know as having Wi-Fi compatibility .

We can configure a WLAN network so that two or more devices are connected. They have to be compatible and have a network card, as we have mentioned. They can work in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Depending on the equipment, it can work in a single band, in double band or even in three simultaneous bands.