LAN and WAN
| LAN | WAN | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | A home, school or office | Cities, countries, the world |
| Owned by | Usually whoever uses it | Often rented from telecoms companies |
| Example | The school network | The internet is the biggest WAN |
LANs and WANs: routers, switches and cables
TheoryPresent ▶
What this lesson covers
Topic 15 Networks and the internet
KS3 Computing · A network is computers joined up to share. The internet is a network of networks. Data crosses it in small numbered packets, following agreed rules called protocols.
Networks and Digital CommunicationCambridge Lower Secondary Computing 0860
You will learn to
- Explain the difference between a LAN and a WAN, with an example of each.
- Identify the job of a switch, a router and a wireless access point.
- Draw the school network from this room out to the internet.
Success criteria
- I can label a switch, router, server, cable and Wi-Fi on my drawing.
- I can say whether the school network is a LAN or a WAN, and why.
- I can explain that the internet is the biggest WAN.
Key words
Say each word, then read what it means. Every one is in the glossary too.
- LAN
- Local Area Network: a network over a small area.
- LAN / WAN
- Local Area Network: a network over a small area.
- Router
- Connects different networks and forwards packets.
- IP address
- A device's address on a network. IPv4 = 4 bytes.
- MAC address
- Fixed unique ID of a network card. 48 bits in hex.
- DNS
- Domain Name System: turns website names into IP addresses.
- Packet
- A small numbered chunk of data sent across a network.
- Protocol
- A set of agreed rules for communication.
- Bandwidth / latency
- How much data a connection can carry per second.
The explanation
Read it here, or open the study page below to go one step at a time with things to try.
Study it
Open the study page and go one step at a time.
Check yourself
One question at a time. The reason shows after each answer.
Saved on this device.