What are the popular LAN technologies and types of LAN today?

LAN technology in computer networks is widely used by various enterprises for information sharing and reception. Computers are connected through networks for information exchange. This type of network is called a local area network (LAN). That being said, computer networks, or LANs, typically work within a limited geographic area such as buildings or university campuses.

LAN components include cables, access points, switches, routers, and other elements that enable devices to connect to internal servers, web servers, and other LANs over the WAN. These LANs are driven by different technologies to initiate connections between different devices. What are the common LAN technologies, where are they used, and what are the different types of LAN technology devices in use today? This article aims to answer this question and more.

What is the most commonly used LAN protocol?

A LAN (Local Area Network) is a computer network that connects devices within a limited geographic area, such as a school, office building, or home. There are various types of LANs, including:

Ethernet: This technology is the most popular of all the other LAN technologies on this list. It complies with the IEEE standard 802.3 and is more popular than other technologies due to its simplicity, low cost of investment, backward compatibility, and noise immunity. Ethernet works on two layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model – Layer 1 and Layer 2. Ethernet technology has evolved over the years and can now be divided into the following types based on speed.

10Mbit/s: This was the first iteration of the technology, introduced in 1983. It is also known as 10Base5.

Fast Ethernet: Introduced in 1995, this type of Ethernet is designed to be 100Mbit/s. This type of Ethernet is covered under the IEEE802.3U standard. 100Base-TX is the most popular type of Fast Ethernet physical layer. where 100 means that the transfer speed is 100Mbit/s; BASE stands for baseband signaling; t&f refers to the carrier medium of the signal, which can be a twisted-pair cable or an optical fiber (FiberOpticCable). However, the last character X or 4 refers to the letter number. X is a placeholder for TX and FX. Learn more about Fast Ethernet.

Gigabit Ethernet: This standard was introduced in 1999 and is designed to transmit 1 gigabit or 1 billion bits of data per second. Gigabit Ethernet replaces Fast Ethernet and is designed to meet the increasing speed requirements of Voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia networks. 1000BASE-T is the most popular version of Gigabit Ethernet. It is defined according to the IEEE802.3ab standard.

10 Gigabit Ethernet: 10 Gigabit Ethernet is one of the latest Ethernet standards and is designed to have a transfer speed of 10Gbits/s, which is faster than Gigabit Ethernet. This standard uses fiber optic cables.

Power over Ethernet: This standard transmits power and data over the same cable. This standard, commonly referred to as PoE, is used to connect devices such as Internet Protocol (IP) cameras and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones. It uses Ethernet cable 5 or higher category. It doesn't require any external AC power cord or adapter. Due to its unique advantages, PoE has become a popular Ethernet standard over the years and is used today to connect various types of wireless Ethernet devices.

Token Ring: This LAN technology was developed by IBM and uses three-byte frames to connect computers. These three-byte frames are called tokens, and they travel along a server or computer, forming a logical loop structure. The Token Ring network has data transfer rates of 4, 16, and 100Mbps. These networks were primarily used in enterprise environments, but have been replaced by Ethernet.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM): This is a fast cell-based communication technology. This telecommunications standard is defined by ITU and ANSI. It is used to transmit various types of signals in a network. One of the main advantages of an ATM is that it does not require a separate overlay network to transmit signals. ATMs can connect points in near and far geographical locations.

ARCNET: ARCNET is an abbreviation for Additional Resource Computer Network, which was used to connect microcomputers in the 1980s. It is mainly used for automated tasks in the office. This technology is used today in industrial control.

FDDI: Optical Fiber Distributed Data Interface, is another LAN technology currently in use. It uses fiber optic cables and has a transmission speed of up to 100Mbit/s. This LAN technology transmits distances of up to 200 kilometers and uses two rings. The first ring is used as the primary backup, and the second ring is used as the secondary backup. The primary ring has a capacity of 100 Mbit/s, and the secondary ring can carry another 100 Mbit/s, thus reaching 200 Mbit/s.

What are the types of LANs?

Client-server LAN: In this type of LAN, a dedicated server is responsible for managing the network and providing services to the client (computer). Servers control access to resources and ensure that data is efficiently transmitted to all devices, and this type of network LAN technology is commonly used in large organizations.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) LAN: In a peer-to-peer network, all devices are equal and there are no dedicated servers. Each device can act as both a client and a server, and resources are shared between all devices. This type of networked LAN technology is often used in small offices or homes

Wired LAN: Used to connect devices in a wired LAN, using physical cables such as Ethernet cables. This type of network LAN technology is typically faster and more reliable than a wireless LAN, but it can be less flexible.

Wireless LAN: A wireless LAN uses radio waves to transmit data. This type of network is more flexible than wired networks, but it can be slower and less reliable, especially in areas with more interference.

Cloud managed LAN: In a cloud managed LAN, the network is managed and configured through a cloud-based management system. This type of network is especially useful for organizations with multiple locations or remote workers, as it allows for centralized management and monitoring of the network.

Now that the role of each LAN technology is well known, it is important to use the right type of device to achieve the desired results. Due to the increasing use of networks, today you can find LAN connectivity solutions from different manufacturers. However, they differ in configuration, performance, and price.