What Is A Wide Area Network?
A wide area network (WAN) is the physical Internet. A WAN is a collection of different types of networks that are used to connect one location with another. The term “wide area” refers to the distance between the two locations and does not refer to how big or small either network may be.
A WAN is the network of physical communications lines, fiber optic cables and satellite routes that connect multiple LANs in different locations.
A WAN is the network of physical communications lines, fiber optic cables and satellite routes that connect multiple LANs in different locations. A WAN can be used to connect LANs within a single building or campus, but it also connects sites that are located hundreds or thousands of miles apart.
The most common transmission media used by WANs include copper wire; fiber optic cable; microwave radio waves; satellite systems like Iridium Satellite or Globalstar Satellite; cellular networks such as CDMA2000 1XRTT/EVDO Rev A 3G networks (including UMTS/UMTS-based LTE), GSM/GPRS/EDGE 2G networks (including HSPA+ 4G), CDMA 1xEV-DO Rev B 3G network
A WAN typically consists of one or more intermediate data switches that are used to connect the LANs.
A WAN typically consists of one or more intermediate data switches that are used to connect the LANs. The intermediate data switch can be located anywhere and can consist of a router, an IP-telephone system (IPT), or a private branch exchange (PBX).
The actual physical connections may be made using any technology that supports the desired transmission speed, such as twisted pair copper cabling and fiber optic cable.
The WAN can also include a wide variety of transmission media, including telephone lines and radio frequency links.
The WAN can also include a wide variety of transmission media, including telephone lines and radio frequency links. In fact, the …