LAN

How it is used

Said as one word, 'lan'. Used for the internal side of a network: LAN ports, LAN cabling, the LAN interface of a router. It is the opposite of WAN. Wireless LAN (WLAN) means the Wi-Fi part of the local network.

Example sentences

1. All the PCs on the LAN can see the shared printer, but the laptops on Wi-Fi can't.

2. Connect the cable to one of the yellow LAN ports, not to the WAN port.

Common collocations

• local area network
• LAN port
• wireless LAN
• LAN cable
• LAN segment

Related terms

• WANShort for wide area network: a network that links sites across cities or countries, usually over lines leased from a telecom operator or over the internet.
• EthernetThe standard technology (IEEE 802.3) for wired local networks, which defines how devices send frames over copper or fibre cables at speeds from 10 Mbps up to hundreds of gigabits per second.
• switchA device with many ports that connects computers, phones, printers and other equipment inside the same local network and forwards each frame only to the port where its destination is.
• VLANShort for virtual LAN: a separate logical network created on a switch, so that devices plugged into the same hardware, for example staff PCs, guests and cameras, can be kept apart.
• networkA group of computers, phones and other devices that are connected by cables or radio signals so that they can exchange data and share resources.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• LAN · Networking & Telecommunications

More terms: APIs, Networking and Security

• API
• endpoint
• REST
• JSON
• status code
• payload
• authentication
• third-party
• SDK
• breaking change
• request
• response