5 Difference Between LAN And PAN

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PAN( Personal Area Network)

PAN stands for Personal Area Network. It is sometimes referred to as Wireless personal Area Network (WPAN).  It’s a network covering a very small area, typically a small room. It enables computer devices to communicate with other nearby computers and exchange information and data. Devices in one PAN network can establish connection with other devices in other PAN network when in the same range. PAN network can be wireless or wired. The most popular wired PAN is USB whereas the most popular wireless PAN is Bluetooth. Other examples of PAN are:

  • Wireless Keyboards
  • Smartphone
  • Wireless Mice
  • ZigBee
  • Wibree
  • Wireless USB
  • Ultrawideband
  • Fire-wire
  • Wireless printers
  • TV remotes
  • Gaming consoles

What You Need To Know About PAN/Characteristics

  1. It is normally short range. The distance of coverage is between 10m to 100m in wireless PAN network (zigbee & Bluetooth).
  2. Mainly used for low data rate applications in home automation, Bluetooth is used for data transfer between devices.
  3. PAN have both star and mesh architecture.
  4. Technologies of PAN include Zigbee, Bluetooth or zwave etc.
  5. Used for low data rate and short distance applications.
  6. PAN support 250kbps in zigbee, from Kbps to 24Mbps in Bluetooth case.
  7. PAN wireless technologies have become very popular in IoT (internet of things) networks.
  8. Devices in one PAN network can establish connection with another device in the other PAN network in the range.

Advantages of Personal Area Network (PAN)

  • In pan no extra space is required.
  • Easy to use and very reliable
  • Data can synchronize between different devices.
  • The network is fully secure
  • Easy to connect to many devices at a time.
  • No need of extra cable and wire.

Disadvantages of Personal Area Network (PAN)

  • The range (coverage) is very much less.
  • Data transfer is low
  • Communication devices that are PAN enabled are very costly.
  • It can be interfered by radio signals.

LAN (Local Area Network)

LAN stands for Local Area Network. It is sometimes referred to as wireless local area network (WLAN). The network connects computer over a small distance such as within a building or a single computer lab consisting of many computers. The network does not contain more than one subnet because they are controlled by one administrator. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two most common technologies in use for local area network.

Examples Of Local Area Network (LAN) are:

  • Networking in home or office
  • Networking in school, laboratory, university campus
  • Networking between two computers.
  • Wi-Fi (when we consider wireless LAN).

What You Need To Know About LAN/Characteristics

  1. Scope is usually within single building or between buildings. The distance of coverage is between 10m and 100m or even more in case of wireless LAN.
  2. It is designed for high data rate transfer from Mbps to Gbps.
  3. Recent advances in WLAN technology have pioneered its use to offload the traffic from the heavily loaded cellular networks.
  4. Some of the technologies of LAN is wireless LAN (WLAN) which is as per IEEE 802.11 standards.
  5. It is mainly used for wireless LAN and LAN where data transfer at high speed is desired.
  6. LAN supports 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps while WLAN supports 54Mbps as per (802.11a) and above 100 Mbps as per (802.11n/11ac/11ad).
  7. In wireless LAN devices are connected using radio frequency waves which are electromagnetic waves.
  8. Some of the different bands of wireless LAN include 2.4 GHz, 5GHz etc.
  9.  In wired LAN, devices are connected using Ethernet cables and all are wired onto Ethernet Hub or Switch.

Advantages Of Local Area Network (LAN)

  • Data transfer rater over LAN network is faster.
  • All data from all attached computers can be stored in one server.
  • There is sharing of internet connection.
  • Software programs can also be shared on LAN.
  • Data is more secure on LAN network
  • Communication is easy, fast and time-saving.

Disadvantages Of Local Area Network (LAN)

  • It is expensive to set up LAN because there is special software required to make a server.
  • Local area networks are usually made within a building or nearby building and cannot extend to the wider area.
  • There could be security risks if the server is not set up correctly.
  • Problems such as poor scalability may arise due to large number of accounts.

Also Read: Difference Between LAN, MAN And WAN

Difference Between PAN And LAN In Tabular Form

BASIS OF COMPARISON PAN (Personal Area Network) LAN (Personal Area Network)
Description It’s a network covering a very small area, typically a small room. It enables computer devices to communicate with other nearby computers and exchange information and data. The network connects computer over a small distance such as within a building or a single computer lab consisting of many computers.
Range It is normally short range. The distance of coverage is between 10m to 100m in wireless PAN network (zigbee & Bluetooth).   Scope is usually within single building or between buildings. The distance of coverage is between 10m and 100m or even more in case of wireless LAN.  
Data Transfer Mainly used for low data rate applications in home automation, Bluetooth is used for data transfer between devices.   It is designed for high data rate transfer from Mbps to Gbps.  
Speed PAN support 250kbps in zigbee, from Kbps to 24Mbps in Bluetooth case.   LAN supports 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps while WLAN supports 54Mbps as per (802.11a) and above 100 Mbps as per (802.11n/11ac/11ad).  
Application Used for low data rate and short distance applications.   It is mainly used for wireless LAN and LAN where data transfer at high speed is desired.  

Also Read: Difference Between WiMAX, Wi-Fi And Bluetooth