Network Types

Network Types Overview

Networks are classified by their size, purpose, and geographic scope. Think of it like roads — a driveway (PAN), a city street (LAN), a highway (MAN), and an interstate (WAN) all serve different distances and traffic volumes. Understanding these types helps you pick the right design for the job.

Network Types at a Glance

How They All Fit Together

  [Phone]---Bluetooth---[Laptop]     <- PAN (Personal)
       |
   [Switch]---[PC]---[Printer]       <- LAN (one building)
       |         |
   [Wi-Fi AP]--[Tablet]              <- WLAN (wireless LAN)
       |
  ~~~Fiber between buildings~~~       <- CAN (campus)
       |
  ===Metro Fiber across city===       <- MAN (metro area)
       |
  ---MPLS / Internet / DIA---         <- WAN (wide area)
       |
  [Branch Office LAN]                 <- Another LAN
       |
  ===VPN Tunnel (encrypted)===        <- VPN (secure overlay)
       |
  [Remote Worker Laptop]              <- Remote Access VPN

  [Server]===Fibre Channel===[SAN Storage]  <- SAN (dedicated)

  [Studio]======P2P Fiber======[Transmitter] <- P2P (dedicated link)

LAN — Local Area Network

A LAN connects devices in a single building or floor using Ethernet cables (Cat5e/6/6a) and switches. It’s the network you work on every day at the office.

• Speed: Typically 1 Gbps per port, 10 Gbps uplinks; very fast because distances are short
• Ownership: You (or your org) own and manage it — your switches, your cables, your rules
• Devices: PCs, printers, IP phones, servers, wireless access points
• Layer: Primarily Layer 2 (Ethernet/switching), with Layer 3 routing between VLANs

WLAN — Wireless LAN

A WLAN is simply a LAN that uses Wi-Fi (802.11) instead of cables. Same network, just wireless.

• Uses: Laptops, phones, tablets — anything that needs to move around
• Standards: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
• Managed by: Wireless controllers and access points (APs)
• Key concern: Security — always use WPA3 or WPA2-Enterprise (802.1X)

CAN — Campus Area Network

A CAN connects multiple buildings in a limited area like a university campus, hospital complex, or corporate park. Think of it as “several LANs tied together with fiber.”

• Span: Typically 1–5 km between buildings
• Backbone: Fiber optic (OM3/OM4 multimode or OS2 singlemode) running 10G–100G between buildings
• Design: Often uses the three-tier model (Core / Distribution / Access) from the Network Architecture reference
• Ownership: Your organization — you own the fiber runs between buildings

MAN — Metropolitan Area Network

A MAN spans a city or metro area, connecting buildings that are too far apart for a campus network but in the same general region.

• Span: 5–50+ km across a city
• Technology: Usually Metro Ethernet (carrier fiber) or dark fiber
• Provider: Typically leased from a service provider (ISP or carrier)
• Use case: Connecting your main office to a remote studio or transmitter site across town

SAN — Storage Area Network

A SAN is a dedicated high-speed network just for storage. It connects servers to shared disk arrays (like a NetApp or Dell EMC) so multiple servers can read/write to the same storage pool.

• Purpose: Centralize storage so it’s not trapped inside individual servers
• Protocols: Fibre Channel (FC), iSCSI (IP-based), FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet)
• Speed: 8G, 16G, 32G, 64G, or 128G Fibre Channel; 10G–100G for iSCSI
• Not on your LAN: SANs are physically or logically separate from user traffic

WAN — Wide Area Network

A WAN connects geographically distant locations — different cities, states, or countries. If you have a main office in La Crosse and a branch in Madison, the connection between them is a WAN link.

• Span: Unlimited — across cities, states, countries, continents
• Provider: Almost always involves a service provider (ISP or carrier)
• Technologies: MPLS, DIA, MetroE, Dark Fiber, SD-WAN, Broadband (see WAN & VPN Services tool)
• The Internet is the world’s largest WAN

P2P — Point-to-Point Network

A Point-to-Point (P2P) connection is a dedicated link between exactly two endpoints. No shared infrastructure, no other traffic — just a direct pipe from A to B.

• Wired P2P: A dedicated fiber or copper circuit between two buildings (leased line, EPL)
• Wireless P2P: Microwave or licensed radio link between two towers or rooftops
• Virtual P2P: A VPN tunnel or GRE tunnel creating a logical point-to-point path over a shared network

VPN — Virtual Private Network

A VPN creates a secure, encrypted tunnel over an untrusted network (like the internet) so it feels like a private connection. Think of it as a “secret tunnel through a public highway.”

VPN Types

VPN Protocols Quick Reference