A.

PERSONAL AREA NETWORK (PAN): A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer devices, including telephones and personal digital assistants, in proximity to an individual's body. The devices may or may not belong to the person in question. The reach of a PAN is typically a few meters. PANs can be used for communication among the personal devices themselves (intrapersonal communication), or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet. Personal area networks may be wired with computer buses such as USB and FireWire. A wireless personal area network (WPAN) can also be made possible with wireless network technologies such as IrDA, Bluetooth, UWB, Z-Wave and ZigBee. Diagram:

Advantages: 1. Personal Area Network helps to communicate in a short range. 2. Using PAN one can wirelessly communicate with portable devices (i.e. Mobile phone, PDA etc.). 3. PAN can also be used to connect to higher level network or Internet. 4. A personal area network (PAN) enable wearable computer devices to communicate with other nearby computers and exchange digital information using the electrical conductivity of the human body as a data network.

B. Local Area Network (LAN): A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area such as home, school, computer laboratory or office building.[1] The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast to wide area networks (WANs), include their usually higher data-transfer rates, smaller geographic area, and lack of a need for leased telecommunication lines. ARCNET, Token Ring and other technology standards have been used in the past, but Ethernet over twisted pair cabling and Wi-Fi are the two most common technologies currently in use. Advantages: 1. Files can be stored on a central computer (the file server) allowing data to be shared throughout an organization. 2. Files can be backed up more easily when they are all on a central fileserver rather than when they are scattered across a number of independent workstations. 3. Networks also allow security to be established, ensuring that the network users may only have access to certain files and applications. 4. Software and resources can be centrally managed. 5. Network versions of software often allow for their speedy installation on workstations from the file server. 6. Expensive devices such as laser printers or scanners can be shared. 7. Users can access their files from any workstation Diagram:

C. Campus Area Network (CAN): A campus network, campus area network, corporate area network or CAN is a computer network made up of an interconnection of local area networks (LANs) within a limited geographical area. The networking equipments (switches, routers) and transmission media (optical fiber, copper plant, Cat5 cabling etc) are almost entirely owned by the campus tenant / owner: an enterprise, university, government etc. Diagram:

Advantages: 1. Campus Area networks (CAN) are economical, beneficial and easy to implement in the specific kilometers of locality 2. It is very helpful for the universities and other corporate organizations to work from any block and receive the same speed of data transfer.

D. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than a LAN, ranging from several blocks of buildings to entire cities. MANs can also depend on communications channels of moderate-to-high data rates. A MAN might be owned and operated by a single organization, but it usually will be used by many individuals and organizations. MANs might also be owned and operated as public utilities. They will often provide means for internetworking of local networks. Diagram:

Fig: 1

Fig: 2

Advantages: 1. Sharing of resources such as printers; hence cost effective. 2. Can send local emails.

E. Wide Area Network (WAN): A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network that covers a broad area (i.e., any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries). This is in contrast with personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), campus area networks (CANs), or metropolitan area networks (MANs) which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area (e.g., a city) respectively. Diagram:

] Advantages: 1. Covers a large geographical area so long distance businesses can connect on the one network 2. Shares software and resources with connecting workstations 3. Messages can be sent very quickly to anyone else on the network. These messages can have pictures, sounds, or data included with them (called attachments). 4. Expensive things (such as printers or phone lines to the internet) can be shared by all the computers on the network without having to buy a different peripheral for each computer. 5. Everyone on the network can use the same data. This avoids problems where some users may have older information than others. 6. Share information/files over a larger area 7. Large network cover