A wide-area network or WAN is a computer network that connects smaller networks. A WAN is essentially a network of networks extended over a wide geographical area. Since WANs are not tied to a specific location, they allow small networks (such as LANs) that are separated by large distances to communicate with each other for information exchange, with the Internet being the largest WAN in the world. WANs enable organizations to create unified networks so that employees, customers, and other stakeholders can work together online, regardless of their location.
Image 1. Wide-area network.
Although WANs cover a wide area, connections can be wired or wireless. Today, the use of fiber optic cables for the physical connection of WANs is essential, as there is a high demand for data transfer between devices connected in this type of network, such as the internet. Therefore, fiber optics is one of the efficient technologies for achieving this large information exchange.
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