 A wide area network (also known as WAN), is a large network of information that is not tied to a single location. WANs can facilitate communication, the sharing of information and much more between devices from around the world through a WAN provider. Show WANs can be vital for international businesses, but they are also essential for everyday use, as the internet is considered the largest WAN in the world. Keep reading for more information on WANs, their use, how they differ from other networks and their overall purpose for businesses and people, alike. What Is a Wide Area Network (WAN)?As described above, wide area networks are a form of telecommunication networks that can connect devices from multiple locations and across the globe. WANs are the largest and most expansive forms of computer networks available to date. These networks are often established by service providers that then lease their WAN to businesses, schools, governments or the public. These customers can use the network to relay and store data or communicate with other users, no matter their location, as long as they have access to the established WAN. Access can be granted via different links, such as virtual private networks (VPNs) or lines, wireless networks, cellular networks or internet access. For international organizations, WANs allow them to carry out their essential daily functions without delay. Employees from anywhere can use a business’s WAN to share data, communicate with coworkers or simply stay connected to the greater data resource center for that organization. Certified network professionals help organizations maintain their internal wide area network, as well as other critical IT infrastructure. There are many different forms of area networks, but one of the most common networks outside of WANs is the local area network, or LAN. Whereas WANs can exist globally, without ties to a physical location through the use of a leased network provider, LANs exist within a limited area. LANs can be used to access a greater WAN (such as the internet), but only within the area where the LAN’s infrastructure can reach. Two common examples of LANs are ethernet and wireless networks. Wireless LANs are also known as WLANs. Other forms of telecommunication networks include the following: What Is the Purpose of a WAN Connection?If WAN connections didn’t exist, organizations would be isolated to restricted areas or specific geographic regions. LANs would allow organizations to work within their building, but growth to outside areas — either different cities or even different countries — would not be possible because the associated infrastructure would be cost prohibitive for most organizations. As organizations grow and become international, WANs allow them to communicate between branches, share information and stay connected. When employees travel for work, WANs allow them to access the information they need to do their job. WANs also help organizations share information with customers, as well as partner organizations, such as B2B clients or customers. However, WANs also provide an essential service to the public. Students at universities might rely on WANs to access library databases or university research. And every day, people rely on WANs to communicate, bank, shop and more.
As data across the world continues to proliferate at breakneck speed, network providers of various sizes (from LAN to WAN) are beginning to see a strain on what their networks can support. This has resulted in new forms of data optimization to increase data collection, reduce bandwidths and consolidate servers, among other things. As WANs are so expansive, modern organizations have been eager for a more optimized version of a WAN connection. Software-defined WANs (SD-WANs) is one solution organizations are beginning to turn to, as it can help alleviate serious traffic issues in the sharing and spreading of data information. SD-WANs use smart software that can monitor the performance of different WAN connections and then appropriately allocate the data into the right connection for the type of traffic users need. For example, an organization may have many different forms of WAN telecommunications — from emails and conference calls to data sharing and dedicated server networks — and SD-WANs typically help alleviate the strain from all these connections by choosing the appropriate channel to funnel the data through. Data demands will continue to grow exponentially over the coming decades, so more advanced forms of WAN connections may continue to be developed. Even now, NASA is working on creating an interplanetary internet for future exploration, and it is currently using a disruptive tolerance network (DTN) for the International Space Station. The biggest concern will be addressing the speed of data transfer, as the greater the distance between two servers, the longer it will take for data to get from point A to point B. WANs have become an essential part of human communication and business relations, and as the world continues to grow, WANs may change and develop new forms of technology in time, as well. CompTIA Network+ covers computer networking topics including wide area networks. Download the exam objectivesto see all the topics covered by this IT certification. Read more about Computer Networks.
A wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographic area. Wide area networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits.[1] Businesses, as well as schools and government entities, use wide area networks to relay data to staff, students, clients, buyers and suppliers from various locations around the world. In essence, this mode of telecommunication allows a business to effectively carry out its daily function regardless of location. The Internet may be considered a WAN.[2] Design optionsThe textbook definition of a WAN is a computer network spanning regions, countries, or even the world.[3][4] However, in terms of the application of communication protocols and concepts, it may be best to view WANs as computer networking technologies used to transmit data over long distances, and between different networks. This distinction stems from the fact that common local area network (LAN) technologies operating at lower layers of the OSI model (such as the forms of Ethernet or Wi-Fi) are often designed for physically proximal networks, and thus cannot transmit data over tens, hundreds, or even thousands of miles or kilometres. WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks together so that users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations. Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are private. Others, built by Internet service providers, provide connections from an organization's LAN to the Internet. WANs are often built using leased lines. At each end of the leased line, a router connects the LAN on one side with a second router within the LAN on the other. Because leased lines can be very expensive, instead of using leased lines, WANs can also be built using less costly circuit switching or packet switching methods. Network protocols including TCP/IP deliver transport and addressing functions. Protocols including Packet over SONET/SDH, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Frame Relay are often used by service providers to deliver the links that are used in WANs. Academic research into wide area networks can be broken down into three areas: mathematical models, network emulation, and network simulation. Performance improvements are sometimes delivered via wide area file services or WAN optimization. Private networksOf the approximately four billion addresses defined in IPv4, about 18 million addresses in three ranges are reserved for use in private networks. Packets addressed in these ranges are not routable on the public Internet; they are ignored by all public routers. Therefore, private hosts cannot directly communicate with public networks, but require network address translation at a routing gateway for this purpose.
Since two private networks, e.g., two branch offices, cannot directly communicate via the public Internet, the two networks must be bridged across the Internet via a virtual private network (VPN) or other form of IP tunnel that encapsulates packets, including their headers containing the private addresses, for transmission across the public network. Additionally, encapsulated packets may be encrypted to secure their data. Connection technologyMany technologies are available for wide area network links. Examples include circuit-switched telephone lines, radio wave transmission, and optical fiber. New developments have successively increased transmission rates. In ca. 1960, a 110 bit/s line was normal on the edge of the WAN, while core links of 56 or 64 kbit/s were considered fast. Today, households are connected to the Internet with dial-up, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), cable, WiMAX, cellular network or fiber. The speeds that people can currently use range from 28.8 kbit/s through a 28K modem over a telephone connection to speeds as high as 100 Gbit/s using 100 Gigabit Ethernet. The following communication and networking technologies have been used to implement WANs.
AT&T conducted trials in 2017 for business use of 400-gigabit Ethernet.[6] Researchers Robert Maher, Alex Alvarado, Domaniç Lavery, and Polina Bayvel of University College London were able to increase networking speeds to 1.125 terabits per second.[7] Christos Santis, graduate student Scott Steger, Amnon Yariv, Martin and Eileen Summerfield developed a new laser that potentially quadruples transfer speeds with fiber optics.[8] See also
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What is the name for a network that connects two or more local area networks together sometimes across a large geographic area?
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