LAN vs WAN - Difference and Comparison

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	LAN	WAN
Definition:	LAN (Local Area Network) is a computer network covering a small geographic area, like a home, office, or group of buildings	WAN (Wide Area Network) is a computer network that covers a broad area (e.g., any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries
Example:	Network in an organisation can be a LAN	Internet is the best example of a WAN
Ownership:	Typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization	WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management
Technology:	Tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring	WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the longer distances
Data transfer rates:	LANs have a high data transfer rate	WANs have a lower data transfer rate as compared to LANs
Geographical spread:	Have a small geographical range and do not need any leased telecommunication lines	Have a large geographical range generally spreading across boundaries and need leased telecommunication lines
Connection:	one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves	Computers connected to a wide-area network are often connected through public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected through leased lines or satellites
Set-up costs:	If there is a need to set-up a couple of extra devices on the network, it is not very expensive to do that	In this case since networks in remote areas have to be connected hence the set-up costs are higher