- Wide Area Network (WAN) :
- It is also called WAN.
- WAN can be private or it can be public leased network.
- It is used for the network that covers large distance such cover states of a country.
- It is not easy to design and maintain.
- Communication medium used by WAN are PSTN or Satellite
- WAN operates on low data rates.
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-Features
- World-wide
- Different Organizations
Large Distances
Routed, latency .1 - .5 seconds
Advantages
- Covers a large geographical area so long distance businesses can connect on the one network.
- Shares software and resources with connecting workstations.
- Messages can be sent very quickly to anyone else on the network
- Expensive things (such as printers or phone lines to the internet) can be shared by all the computers on the network without having to buy a different peripheral for each computer.
- Everyone on the network can use the same data.
- This avoids problems where some users may have older information than others.
Disadvantages
- 1.Need a good firewall to restrict outsiders from entering and disrupting the network
- 2.Setting up a network can be an expensive, slow and complicated. The bigger the network the more expensive it is.
- 3.Once set up, maintaining a network is a full-time job which requires network supervisors and technicians to be employed.
- 4.Security is a real issue when many different people have the ability to use information from other computers.
- 5.Protection against hackers and viruses adds more complexity and expense.