PAN refers to a personal area network. The coverage area of PAN is lowest as compared to LAN, PAN is aligned with personal computing and personal networking.
The Bluetooth connection which is leveraged to connect computing devices with peripherals is one of the examples of PAN.
PAN is a personalized network and has a lower range than LAN but a higher range than BAN. The PAN reach will be from a few centimeters to a few meters. All tech connections in home setup and small office setups will be PAN-based. Home devices are connected via PAN. PAN offers a high level of connection and integration flexibility. PAN and BAN are easy to use networking paradigm.
PAN can work in wire and wireless format:
WIRED CONNECTION: USB / CABLES
WIRELESS: WIFI – Bluetooth, Zigbee
WPAN leverages close-range wireless connectivity protocols the range of PAN is low and is around 5-10 meters,PAN can be synchronous with BAN, BAN is called a body area network, BAN includes trackers sensors and medical technologies, that are placed in or outside the body for health monitoring and health management.
Comparison of PAN with LAN
The Personal Area Network (PAN) is designed for a single user and includes BAN, wearable devices, peripherals, and Bluetooth devices. A PAN can be created by a single device, and the setup process is very user-friendly. The PAN network is utilized by a single user.LAN The scope of LAN is within a small localized network, LAN includes routers switches and servers. WIFI router connection is an example of LAN. 2 devices are required to create one LAN.
PAN requires no learning curve, setting up LAN may require a medium learning curve and if the LAN is complex then may require engineers from the vendor side to establish and optimize the LAN NETWORK, LAN coverage is for multiple users localized in an area.
A few considerations have to be taken while implementing PAN. PAN setup may involve Built-in WPAN which can be expensive hardware compared to basic LAN hardware.
PAN may be subjected to signal interference which can distort the quality of the signal, Bluetooth and WPAN signals can be pone to radio and magnetic interference. PAN technology leverages LINE OF SIGHT PROPAGATION.
Diagrams
The article above is rendered by integrating outputs of 1 HUMAN AGENT & 3 AI AGENTS, an amalgamation of HGI and AI to serve technology education globally.