Local area network From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "LAN" redirects here. For other uses, see LAN (disambiguation). Computer network types by spatial scope Nanoscale Near-field (NFC) Body (BAN) Personal (PAN) Near-me (NAN) Local (LAN) Home (HAN) Storage (SAN) Wireless (WLAN) Campus (CAN) Backbone Metropolitan (MAN) Wide (WAN) Cloud (IAN) Internet Interplanetary Internet v t e A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building.[1] By contrast, a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a larger geographic distance, but also generally involves leased telecommunication circuits. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two most common technologies in use for local area networks. Historical technologies include ARCNET, Token ring, and AppleTalk. ...