What distinguishes LANs from Wide Area Networks (WANs)?

 A local area network, or LAN for short, is a type of network that connects a few buildings together or a few houses or offices together.

A WAN, or wide area network, on the other hand, is a network that covers a wider geographic area and can even span the entire world.

The Internet, a collection of tens of thousands of networks connecting tens of billions of devices, is an illustration of an extensively used WAN.

In Local Area Networks, CAT# cabling is the most widely used physical media, while Ethernet technology, a suite of networking protocols, governs how data is transferred over this medium.

Both Layer 1 and Layer 2 devices can be used in Local Area Networks; Layer 1 devices include repeaters and hubs, while Layer 2 devices include switches and bridges. Layer 1 and Layer 2 devices are used by LANs, whereas multi-layer switches and routers are used by WANs.