Computer networks can be classified by a number of different properties such as capacity, authorization, structure, technology, organizational purpose, etc. However, the most common network classification method is the physical or geographical extent.
Here’s the list of the different types of computer networks:
Knowing these network types will help you determine which one is right for your business needs. In the following sections, we will take an in-depth look at each type of network.
Types Of Networks
What is LAN?
LAN stands for local area network and is the most common and popular network design found in most businesses and homes. It is a network that interconnects devices in a limited geographical area. The single defining characteristic of a LAN is that it connects devices located within a single, limited area such as a building or a house. However, the scale or number of devices doesn’t limit a LAN. It can be large such as an enterprise network with thousands of connected devices or small such as a home network with only a couple of devices.
A simple office LAN consists of cables, access points, switches, routers, etc. which connect the devices such as computers and laptops with internal servers, printers but more importantly allows the connected devices to access a shared internet connection. More robust LANs include firewalls, load balancers, network intrusion detection, redundant links, and traffic segregation among other features.
LAN Design Considerations
You need to consider the following before designing a local area network:
Number of ports required
Network speed required; for example 100Mbps, 1Gbps, etc.
Media consideration- Ethernet, wireless, token ring, etc.
Devices required- Switches, Routers, Access Points
Installation and configuration efforts required
Ease of management
The advantages of a LAN are that the connected devices can use a single Internet connection, share files with one another, and use shared printers. But more importantly, the connected devices can be accessed, managed, and controlled from one location.
What Is WAN?
WAN stands for wide area network. A wide area network is a large computer network, which connects groups of computers or communication devices over large distances. Unlike a LAN, it is not tied to a single geographic location. WANs are generally used by businesses to connect their office networks located at multiple geographical sites. Each of the offices typically has its own LAN, and these LANs are connected via a WAN.
Therefore, a WAN can be viewed as a collection of LANs or other communication networks. The largest and most common example of a WAN is the Internet. Compared to a LAN, a WAN requires additional hardware components. Some of the important hardware required for a wide area network are WAN switches, access servers, modems, routers, ISDN terminal adapters, ATM switches, and multiplexers.
Let’s say you have an office in San Francisco and another one in New York, and you want to connect their local area networks to each other so that you get the benefits of a connected network. But building your own physical network infrastructure using cables, routers, and Internet exchange points over thousands of miles is not something you would want to do. Instead, you can use one of the many different WAN technologies to achieve such a connection.
The most common WAN technologies are:
Leased lines
A leased line is a direct network connection, which you rent from a company, such as an internet service provider (ISP) that already has the infrastructure that you need. Since the leased lines are reserved exclusively for the leaseholder, you get an assured performance and bandwidth. Because of the same reasons, it is an expensive option. How much you pay for the lease would depend on the distance between the connected networks and performance requirements.
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)
Synchronous optical networking is a standardized digital communication protocol, which synchronously transmits large volumes of data over long distances using a fiber optic medium. It allows simultaneous transmission of voice, data, and video at speeds as high as 1Gbps through a single fiber.
Frame Relay
Frame Relay is a WAN technology for transmitting data between LANs and over a WAN. In this technology, data is packaged into frames and sent through a shared network. Each of the frames contains all the necessary routing information to ensure that it reaches the correct destination. It is simple to configure and less expensive than leased lines which contribute to its popularity.
Internet Protocol Suite
The Internet Protocol Suite is the foundation of all modern networking. It is also known as TCP/IP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The TCP/IP defines the addressing, identification, and routing specifications so that the computers and other devices can communicate via the Internet. Although most users may associate the Internet Protocol Suite solely with the Internet, in reality, the Internet is a network of networks and the Internet Protocol Suite is the defining set of protocols that governs the connection of devices and transmission of data.
What Is WLAN
WLAN stands for wireless local area network. As the name suggests, a WLAN forms a LAN by connecting devices using wireless communication, i.e. it doesn't rely on wired Ethernet connections. This means a lot less cabling is required and your mobile devices won’t need to be tethered, therefore, will be truly mobile. A WLAN can be either an alternative to a wired network or as an extension of it.
WLANs use high-frequency radio waves and usually include one or more access points, allowing users to move around within its coverage area. WLAN and WiFi are often used interchangeably, however, it is important to understand that WiFi refers to the wireless connection that a device uses, while WLAN refers to the wireless network itself. The hardware for your office WLAN should subscribe to 802.11ac standard (also called Wi-Fi 5) or higher. The 802.11ac standard gives your network a throughput of at least 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbit/s), a speed that’s become a prerequisite for most modern offices.
Since the wireless signal emanating from your wireless equipment is broadcast over an area, everybody in that area can share it. This poses potential security hazards and you will need several precautions to keep your network secure. The choice of a wireless network over a wired one is a complicated one. It requires careful evaluation of several factors including scalability, security, ease of management, performance, and cost. We recommend reading the following posts that deal with the topic of wireless networks at greater length:
What You Need To Know Before Purchasing WiFi Network Equipment
How To Choose The Right WiFi Equipment For Your Office Network
What is SAN?
SAN stands for storage area network. It is a specialized, high-speed network that gives block-level network access to storage. Storage area networks are generally used to access storage devices such that the storage appears to be locally attached. In other words, SAN is a dedicated network or subnetwork, which interconnects and presents shared pools of storage devices to multiple servers. SAN is often confused with network-attached storage (NAS). While both are network-based storage solutions, they work quite differently.
SANs are dedicated to storage devices typically not available through the LAN. This segregation of storage traffic from the rest of the LAN traffic improves performance and application availability. In addition to the storage devices, a SAN is usually composed of hosts and switches interconnected using different topologies, protocols, and technologies. SANs improve your data protection and security and can also play an important role in your organization's data backup and business continuity strategy.
What is MAN?
MAN stands for metropolitan area network. It is a large computer network that usually spans a vast geographical area and is used in large companies and university campuses. For example, a campus area network (CAN) is a type of MAN and is used to link the various buildings such as academic colleges or departments, libraries, and student residence halls, etc. located within a university campus.
Choosing The Right Type Of Network For Your Business
When designing a computer network for a business environment, you need to consider a wide variety of factors including network traffic, performance, network security, redundancy, hardware, management, maintenance requirement, and costs. However, an immediate and important factor that you need to consider is the physical extent of your network. Whether your office occupies a section within a co-working space, an entire floor of a building, multiple floors within a building, or multiple locations across the country or the globe, each situation calls for a different network solution.
Your choice of a network will depend not only on the physical extent of your office but also on the bandwidth, performance, and security requirements as well as hardware and maintenance costs. Although the different networks sound similar, they are very distinct in terms of their features, advantages, and cost. Therefore, choosing the right type of network for your organization is of utmost importance in designing a computer network that is cost-effective and minimizes resource consumption.
If you liked the blog, please share it with your friends
About The Author
Hari SubediMarketing Manager at Jones IT
Hari is an online marketing professional with a focus on content marketing. He writes on topics related to IT, Security, Small Business, and Mindfulness. He is also the founder and managing director of Girivar Kft., a business services company located in Budapest, Hungary.