What Is the Difference Between Wireless WAN & Wireless LAN?
Employees can stay connected to their office wherever they travel. Two different networks connect computers and mobile devices to one another and the Internet.
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Wireless WANs
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Wireless WANs, or wide area networks, link devices over large swaths of land. Cellular phone companies utilize these networks to allow Internet access to their customers, often under the term "mobile broadband." Wireless WANs tend to offer slower data transfer rates than WLANs.
Wireless LANs
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Wireless LANs, or local area networks, act either in tandem with wired networks or as a separate network. They connect computers together generally within a geographical range of 65 to 300 feet. Wireless LANs require far more security precautions because anyone within reach of the broadcast signal can access it. Wireless LANs contain several different standards to which the hardware associated to the network can adhere. However, all WLANs offer faster data transfer rates than WWANs, regardless of standard.
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Considerations
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Wireless LANs are the norm at home or at the office. The different standards allow for data transfer rates as small as 11 megabits per second (Mbps) with the b standard or up to 600 Mbps with the n standard.
Individual devices that require Internet access outside of Wi-Fi hotspots most often access WWANs.
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