Terminology » Networking Basics » LAN vs PAN | Understanding the Key Differences

LAN vs PAN | Understanding the Key Differences

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pan
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This page compares LAN vs PAN and mentions the difference between LAN and PAN. LAN stands for Local Area Network, while PAN stands for Personal Area Network.

LAN - Local Area Network

lan, wlan

As mentioned, LAN is the short form of Local Area Network. It’s basically a communication network that interconnects devices such as PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets to exchange information.

LANs come in two flavors: wired and wireless. In a wired LAN, devices are connected using Ethernet cables and are all wired to an Ethernet hub or switch. In a wireless LAN (WLAN), devices connect using radio frequency waves, which are electromagnetic waves. There are different WLAN bands, such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. WLANs follow the IEEE 802.11 family of protocols, including 11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, 11ac, and 11ad.

Here are the characteristics of LANs and WLANs:

  • Scope is usually within a single building or between buildings.
  • Designed for high data rate transfer, from Mbps to Gbps.
  • Recent advances in WLAN technology have pioneered its use to offload traffic from heavily loaded cellular networks.

PAN - Personal Area Network

zigbee network

As mentioned, PAN is the short form of Personal Area Network. It’s a network that connects devices within a small range, typically on the order of 10 to 100 meters. A device in one PAN network can establish a connection with another device in another PAN network when in range. All short-range wireless technologies fall under PAN, including Bluetooth, Zigbee, Zwave, and Infrared.

It’s mainly designed and developed for low data rate monitoring and control applications. PAN wireless technologies have become very popular in IoT (Internet of Things) networks.

Here are the characteristics of PANs:

  • Short range
  • Have both star and mesh architectures
  • Mainly used for low data rate applications in home automation; Bluetooth is used for data transfer between devices.
  • Widely adopted in IoT (Internet of Things).

LAN vs PAN Comparison

The following table compares LAN and PAN with respect to many useful system parameters. It also provides links to various wireless LAN and wireless PAN technologies.

ParametersLANPAN
Full FormLocal Area NetworkPersonal Area Network
Distance Coverage10m to 100m and even more in wireless LAN case10m to 100m in wireless PAN network (i.e., Zigbee, Bluetooth)
Data RateLAN supports 10, 100, and 1000 Mbps, while WLAN supports 54Mbps (as per 802.11a) and above 100Mbps (802.11n/11ac/11ad)250Kbps in Zigbee, From Kbps to 24 Mbps in Bluetooth case
TechnologiesWireless LAN or WLAN as per IEEE 802.11 standardsZigbee, Bluetooth, Zwave, etc.
ApplicationsMainly used for wireless LAN and LAN where data transfer at high speed is desired.Used for low data rate and short-distance applications.
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