WANs connect LANS together even if they are in different
geographical locations e.g the internet, a business with stores in
different countries
Stands for Wide Area Network
Devices used: PCs, laptops, tablets
Connected through fibre or copper telephone
lines, satellite links or radio links
Who owns the hardware: telecommunications companies
LAN
A LAN is a type of network that connects
computers in a small geographical location e.g
a school or one office building
Stands for Local Area Network
Devices that use LANs: PCs, tablets, smart
TVs, printers, laptops
Who owns the hardware used: the
organisation that uses the hardware
People use LANs to share files easier, share the same hardware (e.g printers),
communicate with other uses on the same LAN, install updates on multiple
computers at the same time (e.g in schools)
Factors Affecting Networks
Bandwidth
Choice of hardware e.g NIC, switches, routers
Connection used e.g wired, wireless, fibre
optic cables, copper cables