DEFINITION OF LAN	A local area network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area (within the sama building) such as a home,school computer laboratory,office building
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS	LANs are owned and operated by individual organizations
TYPES	Personal Area Network (PAN) is a type of wireless network that works within a very small area - your immediate surroundings Home Area Network (HAN) is a type of network for homes allowing different computers to share resources,including a common internet connection
ADVANTAGES	Hardware and software can be shared All the users work can be stored in a central place Data can be shared because database files stored in the server are available to users around the network
DISADVANTAGES	Printing can be slow,long print queues may develop A virus can spread more easily As data is shared there is greater need for security