Introduction To Local Area Networking - D-Link DFL-1100 User Manual

Introduction to Local Area Networking

Local Area Networking (LAN) is the term used when connecting several computers
together over a small area such as a building or group of buildings. LANs can be connected
over large areas. A collection of LANs connected over a large area is called a Wide Area
Network (WAN).
A LAN consists of multiple computers connected to each other. There are many types of
media that can connect computers together. The most common media is CAT5 cable (UTP or
STP twisted pair wire.) On the other hand, wireless networks do not use wires; instead they
communicate over radio waves. Each computer must have a Network Interface Card (NIC),
which communicates the data between computers. A NIC is usually a 10Mbps network card,
or 10/100Mbps network card, or a wireless network card.
Most networks use hardware devices such as hubs or switches that each cable can be
connected to in order to continue the connection between computers. A hub simply takes any
data arriving through each port and forwards the data to all other ports. A switch is more
sophisticated, in that a switch can determine the destination port for a specific piece of data.
A switch minimizes network traffic overhead and speeds up the communication over a
network.
Networks take some time in order to plan and implement correctly. There are many ways
to configure your network. You may want to take some time to determine the best network
set-up for your needs.
8