Campus Wide Area Network

A Campus wide area network The diagram opposite shows a typical campus wide area network. The buildings are connected together using a variety of different methods including fibre-optic and wireless links. Although the diagram opposite is not an exact representation of the University of Wales Aberystwyth network, it does show the type of wide area network backbone connections currently in use. A wide area network or WAN is a computer network covering a wide geographical area involving a vast array of computers. This is different from personal area networks (PAN's), metropolitan area networks (MAN's) or local area networks (LAN's) which are usually limited to a room, building or campus. Typically, a WAN consists of two or more local-area networks (LANs). Computers connected to a wide-area network are often connected through public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected through leased lines usually fibre-optic cables or satellites. The largest WAN in existence is the Internet. WANs are normally built for individual private organizations including Internet service providers (ISP's). The ISP provides connections from an organization's LAN to the Internet, a router connects to the LAN on one side and a hub/switch within the WAN on the other.