LAN - Local Area Network
This key facts covers LAN - Local Area Network within LAN and WAN for GCSE Computer Science. Revise LAN and WAN in 3.5 Fundamentals of Computer Networks for GCSE Computer Science with 18 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 4 of 11 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 4 of 11
Practice
18 questions
Recall
16 flashcards
LAN - Local Area Network
What is a LAN?
A network covering a small geographical area, typically a single building or campus. All devices are close together, usually within the same location.
Key Characteristics:
- Geographic spread: Single building, office, school campus, or home
- Coverage area: Typically up to 1km radius
- Ownership: Privately owned by one organization or individual
- Infrastructure: Organization provides own hardware (cables, switches, routers, WiFi)
- Speed: Very fast - typically 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps (Gigabit Ethernet common)
- Connection: Wired (Ethernet cables) or wireless (WiFi)
- Latency: Very low (< 1ms typically) - data travels short distances
Common LAN Examples:
- Home network: Your WiFi router connecting laptops, phones, smart TV, printer
- School network: All computers in computer labs, library, staff rooms connected
- Office network: Company computers, printers, servers in one building
- Internet café: Customer computers sharing a local connection
- University campus: Multiple buildings connected with fiber optic cables
Typical LAN Components:
- Network cables: Ethernet (Cat5e, Cat6) for wired connections
- Switches: Connect multiple devices together in star topology
- Router: Connects LAN to external networks (WAN/Internet)
- Wireless Access Points (WAPs): Provide WiFi coverage
- NICs: Network Interface Cards in each device
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in LAN and WAN. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for LAN and WAN
What does LAN stand for?
State three differences between a LAN and a WAN. [3 marks]
Quick Recall Flashcards
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