Wide area network (WAN)

Areas that are not covered by a LAN or MAN are covered by a WAN. Thus, a WAN is a computer network that covers a wide geographic area using dedicated telecommunication lines such as telephone lines, leased lines, or satellites. That being said, unlike other computer networks which have geographic restrictions of their physical reach, WAN does not. From that, it is obvious that WANs are made up of PANs, LANs, and MANs (see Figure 1.4). With that in mind, the best example of a WAN is the internet: