What is LAN and WAN? and what is wi-fi and router?

LAN = Local Area Network WAN = Wide Area Network Wi-fi = Wireless Internet Router = Device used to connect networks to the internet. Basically, a LAN is a small area connected to the same network. A WAN is a wider area connected to a network. You use a router to connect other computers to the internet, instead of having a modem for each stand alone computer, which increases costs. Hopefully someone else will post websites and information of connecting these devices which is why you asked the question, but here's little information which may help you in case no one does!

One way to categorize the different types of computer network designs is by their scope or scale. For historical reasons, the networking industry refers to nearly every type of design as some kind of area network. Common examples of area network types are: LAN - Local Area Network WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network WAN - Wide Area Network MAN - Metropolitan Area Network SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster Area Network PAN - Personal Area Network DAN - Desk Area Network LAN and WAN were the original categories of area networks, while the others have gradually emerged over many years of technology evolution. Note that these network types are a separate concept from network topologies such as bus, ring and star. See also - Introduction to Network Topologies LAN - Local Area Network A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always implemented as a single IP subnet. In addition to operating in a limited space, LANs are also typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization. They also tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring. WAN - Wide Area Network As the term implies, a WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth. A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a router connects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN address. A WAN differs from a LAN in several important ways. Most WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management. WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the longer distances. Wi-Fi (pronounced /ˈwaɪfaɪ/) is a class of wireless local area network (WLAN) devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Today, a Wi-Fi device is installed in many personal computers, video game consoles, smartphones, printers, and other peripherals, and virtually all laptop or palm-sized computers. Because of the close relationship with its underlying standard, the term Wi-Fi is often used by the public as a synonym for IEEE 802.11 technology.[1][2] However, Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, a global, non-profit association of companies that promotes WLAN technology and certifies products as Wi-Fi-CERTIFIED if they conform to certain standards of interoperability. Not every IEEE 802.11-compliant device is certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, sometimes because of costs associated with the certification process.

LAN consists of two or more computers connected together in a building or home using software and hardware. A LAN is contrasted to a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, which covers a large geographic area. In a LAN, there is a main computer or server, and remote computers called clients WAN is a network that spans a large geographical area, the most common example being the Internet. A WAN is contrasted to smaller local area networks (LANs) and metropolitan area networks (MANs) Wi-Fi, stands for wireless fidelity, in a play on the older term Hi-Fi, is a wireless networking technology used across the globe. Wi-Fi refers to any system that uses the 802.11 standard, which was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and released in 1997 RouterIn packet-switched networks such as the Internet, a router is a device or, in some cases, software in a computer, that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination.

LAN = Local Area Connection (Your basic office set-up will have type of interconnectivity - it connects all computers together within a localised area so that each can share files, connectivity etc.) WAN - Wide Area Connection (Multi-National Companies will often use these set-ups as they allow multiple offices in multiple locations to have access to the same files and folders etc.) Wi-Fi = This is common term for "Wireless Connectivity" - it is brought about through the use of a router in the home, libraries, or large public areas. In the home you would connect a router to your internet modem. This is so that the router can send out an internet signal, so that other devices can use the internet without the use of cables. If, for example, you had a PS3 or XBOX 360 you could pick up an internet signal from a wireless router and connect to the internet if either of these devices where in different rooms in the house. Any devices that want to connect to the internet wirelessly will require a Network Adapter (USB Device), which can bought from any PC Store.

for detail about LAN & WAN http://compnetworking.about.com/od/basicnetworkingconcepts/a/network_types.htm Click on given link. byee

A LAN or Local Area Network is network that has computer type devices hooked up for local usage. A WAN or Wide Area Network is more commonly used by business that have multiple sites such as a head quarters in one city and other offices at other cities. A WAN may consist of T-1 circuits that run protocols such as ATM, Frame Relay of ATM. One of the people above mentioned X.25 but this technology is pretty obsolete though it is used in amateur radio for their APRS network. WiFi (Y fye) is a common name for a Wireless Network and is sometimes referred to as a WLAN or Wireless Local Area Network and is used to attach computers and other compatible devices using wireless technology in the 2.4 and 5 Ghz radio bands. You will often hear of Wireless being called 802.11 with a letter at the end such as b, g,a or n. 802.11b transmits at 11Mbps, on 2.4 Ghz, 802.11g it transmits at 54 Mbps on 2.4 Ghz. 802.11a is also 54 Mbps but uses 5 Ghz and 802.11n uses two radios, so it is capable of transmitting upto 300 Mbps on 5 Ghz (Ghz - giga herts or billions of cycles per second) Routers are used to transmit data between sites. The routers used at home are the simplest since they normally have a single destination where all data is sent. That destination is usually the router at the ISP that is connected to the Internet. Businesses use routers to route data between their offices, these routers will use a routing protocol such as RIP, OSPF or BGP. The router keeps a list of IP networks that it knows about and makes a decision based on the routing tables of where to send data packets by reading the information within the data packet headers. Each site must have a router in order to communicate with other sites. There is a difference from the traditional WAN and the Internet, even though the Internet is also a WAN. In a business WAN you are able to route private IP addresses, the Internet blocks private IP addresses because of the widespread usage it would confuse the routers. Private addresses consist of All IP address starting with 192.168.0.1 through 192.168.255.254 172.16.0.1 through 172.31.255.254 10.0.0.1 through 10.255.255.254 Most home routers (DSL Routers) use 192.168.1.0 network so as the data is transmitted to the Internet your actual IP address is translated to the IP address issued by your ISP, this process is called NAT (Network Address Translation) Hope this helps

Hi, LAN and WAN are abbreviations, LAN stands for Local Area Network - the network in an office of at home - WAN, on the other hand, stands for Wide Area Network - a much larger scaled network, but still with the same technology. Your network in an office uses exactly the same technologies as the Internet at the other side of the modem. Wsegeeks has this on WIFI ----------------------- Quote ------------------- In a Wi-Fi network, computers with wifi network cards connect wirelessly to a wireless router. The router is connected to the Internet by means of a modem, typically a cable or DSL modem. Any user within 200 feet or so (about 61 meters) of the access point can then connect to the Internet, though for good transfer rates, distances of 100 feet (30.5 meters) or less are more common. Retailers also sell wireless signal boosters that extend the range of a wireless network. Wifi networks can either be "open", such that anyone can use them, or "closed", in which case a password is needed. An area blanketed in wireless access is often called a wireless hotspot. There are efforts underway to turn entire cities, such as San Francisco, Portland, and Philadelphia, into big wireless hotspots. Many of these plans will offer free, ad-supported service or ad-free service for a small fee. San Francisco recently chose Google to supply it with a wireless network. Wifi technology uses radio for communication, typically operating at a frequency of 2.4GHz. Electronics that are "WiFi Certified" are guaranteed to interoperate with each other regardless of brand. Wifi is technology designed to cater to the lightweight computing systems of the future, which are mobile and designed to consume minimal power. PDAs, laptops, and various accessories are designed to be wifi-compatible. There are even phones under development that would switch seamlessly from cellular networks to wifi networks without dropping a call. ---------------- End Quote --------------------- If simple terms, a LAN is small, a WAN big, both use (about) the same technologies, WIFI is the same, but there are no wires, it's all radio... Perhaps this tutorial might help too: http://www.comptechdoc.org/independent/networking/guide/ and maybe this one is neat to look at too http://www.wisegeek.com/ Wellness! Thor

lan-->A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always implemented as a single IP subnet. wan-->a WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth. A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a router connects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN address. wi-fi-->Wi-Fi is a class of wireless local area network (WLAN) devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Today, a Wi-Fi device is installed in many personal computers, video game consoles, smartphones, printers, and other peripherals, and virtually all laptop or palm-sized computers. Router-->In packet-switched networks such as the Internet, a router is a device or, in some cases, software in a computer, that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination. The router is connected to at least two networks and decides which way to send each information packet based on its current understanding of the state of the networks it is connected to. A router is located at any gateway (where one network meets another), including each point-of-presence on the Internet. A router is often included as part of a network switch.