A2.1.1 — Network Types
Types of Networks
| Type | Name | Scale | Characteristics | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAN | Local Area Network | Single building or campus (~1 km) | High data transfer rates, low latency, wired or wireless. | School network |
| WAN | Wide Area Network | Cities, countries, continents | Lower transfer rates, higher latency than LANs. Connects multiple LANs and MANs. Centralised data processing and resource sharing across locations. | Internet, corporate networks connecting branch offices |
| PAN | Personal Area Network | ~10 metres around a person | Designed for individual use — connects personal devices. Wired (USB) or wireless (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi). Small scale, highly localised. | laptop + wireless mouse |
WAN Connection Types
- Leased lines: Dedicated, fixed-bandwidth link between two locations. Provided and maintained by a telecoms company. Exclusive use
- Satellite links: Used in remote areas where ground infrastructure is unavailable. Higher latency due to the distance signals must travel to orbit and back.
- Fibre-optic cables: High capacity backbone connections across vast distances. Lowest latency, highest bandwidth of all WAN types.
VPN Virtual Private Network
A VPN creates a secure, encrypted connection over a public network (the internet), making it behave like a private network. Used to connect remote users or offices to a private network without needing dedicated physical infrastructure.
How it works
- Data is encrypted at the sender's end before being sent over the internet.
- The data travels through a tunnel- logical connection that encapsulates and protects the data from being read by anyone intercepting it.
- To anyone monitoring the internet traffic, it appears as unreadable encrypted data coming from the VPN server's IP.not the user's real IP.
Uses
- Remote working: Employees connect to the company's internal network securely from home or while travelling, as if they were physically in the office.
- Site-to-site connectivity: Connects two or more office locations over the internet, replacing the need for expensive leased lines.
- Privacy and security: Encrypts internet traffic to protect against eavesdropping on public Wi-Fi networks.
- Bypassing geo-restrictions: Routing traffic through a server in another country makes it appear as if the user is in that country.