LAN Connection
A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network that is restricted to smaller physical areas e.g. a local office, school, or house. Approximately all current LANs whether wired or wireless are based on Ethernet. On a ‘Local Area Network’ data transfer speeds are higher than WAN and MAN that can extend to a 10.0 Mbps (Ethernet network) and 1.0 Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet). LAN networks can be implemented in multiple ways, for example twisted pair cables and a wireless Wi-Fi with the IEEE 802.11 standard can be used for this purpose. One end of the twisted pair cable is plugged into switches using ‘RJ-45 connectors’ whereas the other end is plugged to a computer or in another network. All new routers use the b/g/n IEEE 802.11 standards. The ‘b’ and ‘g’ operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum, and ‘n’ operates in 2.4 and 5.0 GHz which allows better performance and less interference. Computers and servers (provides services to other computers like printing, file storage and sharing) can connect to each other via cables or wirelessly in a same LAN. Wireless access in conjunction with wired network is made possible by Wireless Access Point (WAP). Devices with WAP functionality provide a bridge between computers and networks. A WAP is able to connect hundreds or even more of wireless users to a network. Servers in a LAN are mostly connected by a wire since it is still the fastest medium for network communication. But for workstations (Desktop, laptops, etc.) wireless medium is a more suitable choice, since at some point it is difficult and expensive to add new workstations into an existing system already having complex network wiring.