LANs, WLANs, WANs, the Internet & Ubiquiti Products
Any device that acts as a point along which data passes on the network is called a Node.
A Local Area Network or LAN for short, is a group of interconnected Nodes, typically in the same physical location.
Network Administrators configure, control, and manage the LAN, most notably, through Network Address assignment.
After receiving a Network Address to communicate on the Network, a Node is described as a Host.
Although Local Hosts share common Address characteristics, each Host’s traffic is identified by its unique Network Addresses.
In general, a Network Switch is a device that increases the size of the Local Segment, or LAN.
Local Hosts connect to Switch Ports to communicate locally.
The International standards group, IEEE 802, including 802.2 & 802.3, discusses LAN Technology in great detail.
Nodes with wireless radio capability are called Stations.
Ad-hoc describes Stations that communicate independent of LAN infrastructure.
In contrast, a Wireless LAN, or WLAN for short, allows wireless clients to connect to and communicate on the Local Network through Access Points, devices which increase the size of the LAN by broadcasting, or, announcing the existence of the Wireless Segment.
IEEE 802.11 describes Wireless LAN Technology standards, such as 802.11r, for fast roaming, or 802.11ac, the fifth generation of Wi-Fi.
By definition, the Wide Area Network, or WAN for short, represents the greater Network beyond the boundaries of the LAN.
Also known as Gateways, Routers sit on the boundary between LANs and the WAN.
Compared to Switches, which move traffic within the LAN, Routers are responsible for moving Local Host traffic between the LAN and WAN, and also, between different LANs.
Synonymous with the WAN, the Internet is a Global System of Routers owned and maintained by different Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, who together, enable Network Traffic to reach its intended Destination.
Compared to ISPs, who use airMAX, airFiber, EdgeMAX and other Ubiquiti platforms to build Broadband Internet Networks, IT Administrators work with UniFi to manage, scale, and monitor LAN, WLAN, and WAN for Enterprise users in industries such as education, hospitality, government, and more.
