🌐 Local Area Network (LAN)

1. Definition

A LAN (Local Area Network) is a computer network that connects devices within a limited physical area — such as a home, office, or school. It allows devices to share resources (files, printers, internet) and communicate at high speed.

2. Key Characteristics

Coverage: Small area (building, campus).
Speed: Very fast (100 Mbps – 10 Gbps).
Ownership: Usually private, managed by individuals or organizations.
Connection Types:
- Wired LAN → Ethernet cables.
- Wireless LAN (WLAN) → Wi‑Fi.

3. Relationship with Wi‑Fi

Wi‑Fi is not a separate network type — it is a wireless technology standard (IEEE 802.11) that lets devices connect to a LAN without cables.
So when you connect your phone to Wi‑Fi at home, you are actually joining your home LAN wirelessly.
In practice:
- LAN = the network itself.
- Wi‑Fi = one way to access that LAN.

4. Examples

Home LAN: Router + Ethernet (wired) + Wi‑Fi (wireless).
Office LAN: Computers, printers, servers connected via Ethernet and Wi‑Fi.
School LAN: Campus network with both wired labs and wireless hotspots.

5. LAN vs WAN

Feature	LAN	WAN
Coverage	Local area (home, office, campus)	Wide area (cities, countries)
Speed	High (100 Mbps–10 Gbps)	Lower, depends on telecom infra
Ownership	Private, managed locally	Shared/public infrastructure
Connection	Ethernet, Wi‑Fi	Fiber, satellite, leased lines