IntroductionA wide area network is a geographically dispersed telecommunications network. The term distinguishes a broader telecommunications structure from a local network. The wide area network may be privately owned or leased, but the term generally connotes the inclusion of a public network. An intermediate form of network in geographic terms is a metropolitan area network. WAN is a regional or global communications network within a geographic area, with a minimum distance typical of that between large metropolitan areas. Smaller networks include the metropolitan and local network. A communications network provides common transmission and switching functions that allow the user to transport data between multiple sources and multiple destinations. In ideal circumstances, the data that arrives at its destination is identical to the data that is sent. The rate of arrival of bits at any point in the network is called the data rate at that point and is usually measured in bits per second. These bits can come from a single source or from multiple sources. The ability of a network to transmit at a certain data rate is known as bandwidth.Figure 1: The MESH connectivity of a WAN.A typical network is shown in the figure above. WANs commonly use MESH connectivity network. The characteristics of the transmission facility lead to an emphasis on the efficiency of communication techniques in WAN design. It is important to control traffic volume and avoid excessive delays. Since the topology of WANs is likely to be more complex than that of LANs, there is also more emphasis on routing algorithms. Many WANs also implement a sophisticated monitoring procedure to determine which user is consuming the network resource. This is...... middle of paper ......All different people have the ability to use information from another computer.• Messages can be sent quickly to other people on the network. These messages are accompanying data, images, sounds or videos, called attachments. • Once configured, maintaining a network is a full-time job that requires the employment of network supervisors and technicians. • Volunteer to hackers or other external threats. Conclusion A wide area network is a collection of computers and network resources connected via a network over a geographic area. . Wide area networks are usually connected via the Internet or through a special agreement with telephone companies or another service provider. A WAN is different from a MAN because of the distance between each of the networks. In a WAN, a network can be several hundred miles away or across the world in another country..