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Search the World's Largest Database of Information Science & Technology Terms & Definitions

InfScipedia

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Below please find a list of definitions for the term that
you selected from multiple scholarly research resources.

What is LAN

Chapter 100

Encyclopedia of Internet Technologies and Applications

A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small local area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings such as a home, office, or college.

Published in Chapter:

Wi-Fi Technology

Antonios Alexiou (Research Academic Computer Technology Institute and University of Patras, Greece), Dimitrios Antonellis (Research Academic Computer Technology Institute and University of Patras, Greece), and Christos Bouras (Research Academic Computer Technology Institute and University of Patras, Greece)

Source Title: Encyclopedia of Internet Technologies and Applications

DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59140-993-9.ch100

Abstract

Wi-Fi, short for “wireless fidelity,” is a term for certain types of wireless local area network (WLAN) that use specifications in the 802.11 family. In general, the wireless technologies are used for the replacement or the expansion of the common wired networks. They possess all the functionality of wired LANs but without the physical constraints of the wire itself. The wireless nature inherently allows easy implementation of broadcast/multicast services. When used with portable computing devices (e.g., notebook computers), wireless LANs are also known as cordless LANs because this term emphasizes the elimination of both power cord and network cable (Tanenbaum, 2003).