Difference between revisions of "Wide area network"
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| − | A '''wide area network''' (usually abbreviated to '''WAN''') is a [[data network]] with extended geographical scope (often country-wide, or even larger). They are constructed out of [[point-point link]]s connected together with [[router]]s. The first WAN's operated at low speed, 9600 [[baud rate|baud]] or 56K baud. With the advent of [[fiber optic]]s, they now operate at high speed (originally in the range of 1 mega-[[bit]]/second, although speeds of 1 giga-bit/second and up are now common). | + | A '''wide area network''' (usually abbreviated to '''WAN''') is a [[data network]] with extended geographical scope (often country-wide, or even larger). They are constructed out of [[point-to-point link]]s connected together with [[router]]s. The first WAN's operated at low speed, 9600 [[baud rate|baud]] or 56K baud. With the advent of [[fiber optic]]s, they now operate at high speed (originally in the range of 1 mega-[[bit]]/second, although speeds of 1 giga-bit/second and up are now common). |
The [[ARPANET]] was one of the first WANs, and formed the base of the early [[Internet]]. | The [[ARPANET]] was one of the first WANs, and formed the base of the early [[Internet]]. | ||
Latest revision as of 17:41, 15 June 2022
A wide area network (usually abbreviated to WAN) is a data network with extended geographical scope (often country-wide, or even larger). They are constructed out of point-to-point links connected together with routers. The first WAN's operated at low speed, 9600 baud or 56K baud. With the advent of fiber optics, they now operate at high speed (originally in the range of 1 mega-bit/second, although speeds of 1 giga-bit/second and up are now common).
The ARPANET was one of the first WANs, and formed the base of the early Internet.
