Difference between LAN and WAN

Comparison chart 

	LAN	WAN
Data transfer rates:	LANs have a high data transfer rate	WANs have a lower data transfer rate as compared to LANs
Technology:	Tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring	WANs tend to use technology like MPLS, ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the longer distances
Connection:	one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves	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 or satellites
speed:	high speed(1000mbps)	less speed(150mbps)
Maintenance costs:	Because it covers a relatively small geographical area, LAN is easier to maintain at relatively low costs.	Maintaining WAN is difficult because of its wider geographical coverage and higher maintenance costs.
Fault Tolerance:	LANs tend to have less problems associated with them, as there are a smaller amount of systems to deal with.	WANs tend to be less fault tolerant. as it consists of a large amount of systems there is a lower amount of fault tolerance.
Example:	Network in an organization can be a LAN	Internet is the best example of a WAN
Geographical spread:	Have a small geographical range and do not need any leased telecommunication lines	Have a large geographical range generally spreading across boundaries and need leased telecommunication lines
Set-up costs:	If there is a need to set-up a couple of extra devices on the network, it is not very expensive to do that	In this case since networks in remote areas have to be connected hence the set-up costs are higher. However WANs using public networks can be setup very cheaply, just software (VPN etc)
Ownership:	Typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization	WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management over long distances
Definition:	LAN (Local Area Network) is a computer network covering a small geographic area, like a home, office, schools, or group of buildings.	WAN (Wide Area Network) is a computer network that covers a broad area (e.g., any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries over a long distance
Components:	layer 2 devices like switches, bridges. layer1 devices like hubs , repeaters	Layers 3 devices Routers, Multi-layer Switches and Technology specific devices like ATM or Frame-relay Switches etc.
Data transmission Error:	Experiences fewer data transmission errors	Experiences more data transmission errors as compared to LAN

The other difference between LAN and WAN, is the speed of the network. The maximum speed of a LAN can be 1000 megabits per second, while the speed of a WAN can go up to 150 megabits per second. This means the speed of a WAN, is one-tenth of the speed of a LAN. A WAN is usually slower because it has lower bandwidth.

Computers in a LAN can share a printer, if they are all in the same LAN. On the other hand, a WAN cannot share a printer, so a computer in one country cannot use a printer in another country. A LAN does not need a dedicated computer to direct traffic to and from the Internet, unlike a WAN that needs a special-purpose computer, whose only purpose is to send and receive data from the Internet.

Another LAN vs. WAN comparison is the cost of the network. A WAN is more expensive than a LAN. It is easier to expand a LAN than a WAN. The equipment needed for a LAN is a network interface card (NIC), a switch and a hub. On the other hand, the equipment needed to connect a WAN to the Internet is a modem and a router. The modem may be a cable modem or a DSL modem that is connected to a wall jack, while the router should be configured so that it can handle the packets traveling between the WAN and the Internet.

In LAN vs. WAN, there is a difference in the networking standard used. A LAN uses the Ethernet standard, while a WAN uses the T1 standard. Before Ethernet, the protocols used for LAN were Attached Resource Computer Network (ARCNET) and Token Ring. The protocols used for WAN are Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Another protocol for WAN is Packet over SONET/SDH (PoS), where SONET stands for Synchronous Optical Networking and SDH stands for Synchronous Digital Hierarchy. The first WAN protocol was X.25, while an advanced WAN protocol is Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). The hardware in a LAN is connected with 10Base-T cable connectors, while a WAN is connected via leased lines or satellites.

Here is an explanation of LANs and WANs. A LAN is easy to set up, as you need to slip the NIC into the PCI slot (for desktop computers) or PCMCIA slot (for laptop computers). You also need to install the driver for the NIC. The NIC can be connected to the network using the RJ45 port.

On the other hand, a WAN is very difficult to set up. There is often an appliance to optimize the WAN. There is also a device to cache WAN data, so workers in the branch office can quickly access documents. The router also has Quality of Service (QoS) built in, so that it gives priority to certain kinds of traffic.

There are various topologies available in LAN and WAN networking. The most common topologies in LAN and WAN networks are ring and star. The ring topology is a network in which every node (every computer) is connected to exactly two other nodes. The star topology is a network in which all the nodes (called leaf nodes or peripheral nodes) are connected to a central node.

More networks

There are several kinds of networks which have different characteristics. They are usually known by their acronyms (first letter of each word). Since you may run across them in your network career, here is a short list.

• MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
  A high speed (100Mbps, FDDI) network which spans city distances. For example, a large bank may put its data center in the suburbs where land is less expensive and yet still need to be in constant communications with head office, which is located downtown.
• GAN (Global Area Network)
  A network which spans the world. An example is the Internet.
• EWAN (Enterprise Wide Area Network)
  The network of a large multinational enterprise. It would use the services of numerous WAN providers, but to the employees of the company, it appears that the network is theirs.
• FAN (Family Area Network)
  LAN inside a home used to access the Internet.