Computer networks and their types

A computer network connects two or more computing devices, so that they can share data and resources (like a printer or an Internet connection).

Each device on a network that can receive, create, store or send data is a node. Data do not travel as one big block: they are split into small chunks called packets.

Networks are grouped by the area they cover:

• LAN (Local Area Network): a room, a building or a campus, up to about 1 km. It is fast: 10 to 1000 Mbps, from Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet.
• MAN (Metropolitan Area Network): a city or town, up to about 30-40 km. A cable TV network is an example. It is slower than a LAN.
• WAN (Wide Area Network): across countries or even continents. The Internet is the largest WAN.

Room, city, world.