☞ A computer network may be small or big depending upon the number of computers and other networking devices linked together.
☞ On the basis of geographical spread, networks maybe classified as :
| PARAMETER | PAN | LAN | MAN | WAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area covered | Small area up to 10 m radius | A building or campus up to 10 km | A city of 100 km radius | Entire country, continent or globe |
| Networking cost | Negligible | In expensive | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Transmission speed | High speed | High speed | Moderate speed | Low speed |
| Error rate | Lowest | Lowest | Moderate | Highest |
| Network devices used | USB, dongle, WLAN | Hub/Switch, Repeater, Modem, LAN/WLAN | Router, Gateway | Router, Gateway |
| Technology/Media used | Infrared, Bluetooth | Ethernet, Wi-Fi | Optical fiber, Radiowave, Microwave | Microwave, Satellite |