| CHARACTERISTIC | LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) | METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN) | WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN) |
| DEFINE | Connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area | High-speed network that connects Local Area Network(LANs) in a metropolitan area | Covers a large geographical area |
| AREA OF COVERAGE | Located within the same building | Connect various locations such as campuses | Within a countryside and worldwide networks such as city using multiple transmission media |
| DISTANCE | Less than a mile | Up to 100 miles | Greater than 100 miles |
| OWNERSHIP | Owned and operated by individual organizations | Owned by a group of users who jointly own and operate the network | No ownership |
| NETWORK SIZE | Smaller because it cover only in the building , home and office | Larger because it can cover in a city | Largest because it cover worldwide |
| ADVANTAGE | - hardware and software can be shared - all the users work can be stored in a central place | - can enhance data transfers efficienly because it can connects many LAN together and increases area coverage | - far greater - support global market and business |
| DISADVANTAGE | - printing can be slow - a virus can spread more easily | - when network connects many computer over many network , the connection become quite slow | - potential hackers could break into a computer system from anywhere |
| TYPE | - Personal Area Network (PAN) - Home Area Network (HAN) | Campus Area Network (CAN) | - |
| SPEED | Faster because area of coverage small | Faster than WAN and slower than LAN because it cover intercity | Slower than MAN and LAN because it cover large area |
| EXAMPLE | Sharing printer in a building | Traffic light system in a city | - Internet -VPN |
{NETWORK ARCHITECTURE} {NETWORK TOPOLOGY} {CLASSIFICATION OF NETWORK} {INTERNET} {INTERNET SERVICE}