What Does 'WAN (Wide Area Network)' Mean?
A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographical area and connects multiple Local Area Networks (LANs) or Metro Area Networks (MANs). A WAN can be used to connect computers and other devices across different cities, states, or even countries. The Internet is the largest example of a WAN.
WANs can be built using a variety of technologies, including leased lines, satellite connections, and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). These networks are often used by organizations like corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions to share resources and exchange information across multiple locations.
Categories
WANs can be divided into two main categories: public and private. Public WANs, such as the Internet, are available to the general public and are typically provided by telecommunications companies.
Private WANs, on the other hand, are for the exclusive use of a specific organization and can be built using a variety of technologies, among them leased lines, satellite connections, and VPNs.
Connection types
Leased lines are dedicated, point-to-point connections between two locations that are provided by telecommunications companies. They can be used to connect LANs or individual devices over a long distance and can offer fast, reliable, and secure communications. However, leased lines can be expensive, and the cost increases with the distance between the two locations.
Satellite connections use satellites in orbit around the Earth to provide communications links. They are ideal for connecting remote locations that are not served by traditional wired or wireless networks, but they can be expensive and can experience latency due to the distance the signals must travel to and from the satellite.
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) use public networks, such as the Internet, to provide secure, remote access to an organization’s private network. They can be used to connect remote users to the organization’s LAN and provide the same level of security as a leased line. VPNs are often used by organizations with employees who travel or work remotely, but they can also be used to connect multiple LANs across a WAN.
Usability
WANs are often used by organizations with multiple locations, like corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions, to share resources, such as printers, servers, and databases, and to exchange information, for example, via email and files.
The key aspect of WAN is its geographic reach; it is able to connect many locations over a large distance, unlike LAN, which mostly focuses on local connections.
Traditional Circuit-Switched WAN
A traditional circuit-switched WAN (Wide Area Network) is a type of telecommunications network that uses dedicated, end-to-end circuits to establish a connection between two or more devices over a long distance. This means that when a connection is established between two devices, a dedicated circuit is established and remains connected for the duration of the call or session, and no other device can use that circuit until the call is disconnected.
Circuit-switched networks are based on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), which is the traditional telephone network used for voice calls. The PSTN uses circuit switching to establish a connection between two devices. In circuit-switched WANs, the circuit is usually provided by a telecommunications company and is normally a leased line or leased circuit, which is a dedicated, point-to-point connection between two locations.
Circuit-switched WANs are relatively simple to set up and use, but they can be expensive, especially for long-distance connections. Because the circuit is dedicated to the call or session, it is not available for other uses, even if it is not in use. This can cause people to not use the circuit enough, which can cost the organization money.
Additionally, circuit-switched WANs also provide limited bandwidth, so once a call is established and uses up all the bandwidth, no more calls can be established; this is known as “circuit congestion.” This can be a limitation for organizations that need to transfer large amounts of data over the WAN.
With the advancement of technology, packet-switching networks have become more prevalent, which provide higher bandwidth and more dynamic allocation of resources. They have many advantages over traditional circuit-switched networks, such as more efficient use of bandwidth and reduced costs, which makes them more suitable for data communication and internet access.
