Assignment 1 Unit 11

Introduction
In this presentation I am going to talk about what is wired and wireless network
and the advantages and disadvantages of both.I am going to talk about two
computer networks and the advantages and disadvantages of both. They are
called LAN (local area network) and WAN (wide area network). I am also going to
talk physical topology, logical topology, token ring network, gaming environment,
user experience of WAN, frequency of network failure and performance, and
Strengths and weaknesses of WAN.
Wired network
A wired network uses cables to connect devices such as laptop, desktop
computers, to the internet or another network.
The term “wired” is used to alter between wireless connections and those that
involve cables. A wired setup uses physical cables to transfer data between
different devices and computer systems.
Wireless Network
A wireless network allows devices to stay connected to the network but roam
untethered to any wires. Access points amplify wifi signals, so a device can be far
from a router, but still can be connected to the network. Wireless networks uses radio
waves to connect devices like laptops to the internet. When you have a laptop
connected to a wifi hotspot in a public place, the connection is established to that
wireless network.
Advantages and disadvantages of wireless
network
Advantages
● It provides reliable connection and does not face any interference as a wireless
network does.
● You do not have to worry about the security breach in your network if you are using
the wired technology.
● It is perfect for small network connection at office or home which includes at router
and several desktop PCs and other devices.
● It provides a constant and faster speed than a wireless connection because it
provides one-to-one connection.
Disadvantages
● If you are using other devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets, then the wired
network is not convenient to use.
● One Ethernet cable can provide a connection output to only one PC.
● It is expensive and takes crucial amount of time to establish the network if you are
planning to expand your network.
● It takes a lot of time to set up a wired network because more components are
required to complete the process.
 Advantages and disadvantages of wireless network
Advantages
● Users can move around freely within the area of the network with their laptops, and phones and
get an internet connection.
● Users are able to share files and other resources with other devices that are connected to the
network without having to be cabled with a port.
● You can share files and other resources with other devices that are connected to a network
without having to be cabled to a port.
● Sometimes wireless networks can handle a large amount of users because they are not limited
by a number of connection ports.
Disadvantages
● It is expensive to set up the equipment for a wireless network
● Sometimes setting up a wireless network can be quite difficult for people who are not
experienced with computers
● File-sharing transfer speeds are normally slower with wireless networks than they are with
cabled.
● Wireless network are less secure. If the network hasn’t been set up to be password protected
then other people from outside
LAN (Local Area Network)
A local area network is a computer network within a
small area like a home, school computer laboratory,
office building, or other areas.
Advantages and disadvantages of LAN

Advantages
● It is easy to set up and it is cheap as compared to other options and therefore, if a company is
looking to set up a network at a low cost, then LAN would the cheapest one.
● Files can be stored on the central computer and everyone in the network can see and use the
data resulting in ease of data sharing. If you have a problem losing your data from one computer
you can recover your data from the central computer.
● Expensive items such as printers and scanners cannot be attached to each computer because it
will be very expensive for the company but due to local area network a company will need to
have only one printer and scanner so that everyone can be connected to that printer and scanner
and can give command from their computer. Therefore, it will save a lot of cost for the company.
Disadvantages
● It can only be used in a limited area and once the computer goes outside the network then local
area network is no of use.
● If some problem or virus central computer gets breakdown then all other computers will also
breakdown leading to complete shutdown systems in the company.
● If one wants to share data from outside of the network then it will be very difficult as one cannot
run a removable devices USB on all computer of the network.
WAN (Wide Area network)
A wide area network (WAN) is a network that
exists over a large-scale geographical area. A
WAN connects different smaller networks,
including local area networks.
Advantages and disadvantages of WAN

Advantages
● WAN covers a large geographical area of 1000 km or more if your office is in different cities,
countries or places, then you can connect your office branches through WAN.
● With new LAN technologies, messages are being transmitted fast. A lot of web applications
are available like facebook messenger, whatsApp, Skype by which you can communicate
with friends with text voice and video chat.
● You can distribute your work to other locations. An example would be that if you have an
office in the U.S you can hire people from any other country and communicate with them
easily over WAN.
Disadvantages
● WAN has more security problems compared to LAN and MAN. WAN has many technologies
combined with each which can create a security gap.
● Setting up WAN will be expensive. It may involve purchasing switches, routers and extra
security software.
● As WAN covers a lot of areas, fixing the problem for it is difficult. Most of WAN wires go into
sea and sometimes get damaged.
Physical topology

Physical topology refers to the interconnected structure of a local area

network. The process is used to connect the physical devices on the
network, with the cables, and the type of cabling used, all form the
physical topology.

Types of physical topology

● Linear Bus topology
● Star topology
● Tree topology
3 types of physical topology

Linear bus topology- a single cable to which all

network nodes are directly connected. The cable
terminators at each end to prevent the loss of signal.

Star topology- a topology with a single access point

or a switch at the centre of the topology and all the
other nodes are connected directly to this point.

Tree topology- a combination of star and linear bus

topologies. This topology has multiple access points
connected to the bus, while the nodes are
connected to their access points.
Logical topology

Logical topology is a concept in networking that defines the

planning of the communication mechanism for all nodes. Using
routers and switches, the logical topology of a network can be
dynamically maintained and reconfigured. Logical topology
explains how data should transfer. Contrast this to the physical
topology, which contains the layout of cables, network devices
and wiring.

Types of logical topology

● Token ring topology
● Ethernet topology
Token ring network
A token ring network is a LAN topology where nodes are
grouped in a ring topology. Data passes continuously between
nodes on the network until it returns to the source station. To
prevent blocking and collision, a token ring uses a token to
ensure that only one node on the line is used at a time,
therefore easily identifying media users of its activity.

How token ring works

● The token circulates inside the ring
● To send out a message, a node inserts a message and
destination inside the token.
● The token is scanned by each node.
● The destination node copies the message and returns the
token to the source and the source address and a data
receipt message.
● The source receives the token, verifies copied and
received data and empties the token.
● The token changes to circulation mode and the process
continues
Ethernet logical topology

Ethernet is the most widely used network topology. You

can choose between bus and star topologies, as well as
coax, twisted-pair, or fibre optic cabling. With the right
connective equipment, multiple Ethernet-based LANs
can be linked together. In fact, with the right equipment
and software, even token Ring, AppleTalk®, and
wireless LANs can be connected to the Ethernet.
Gaming environment

In my opinion, I think that wide area network (WAN) is the

best to play games in multiplayer environment because
you can play other people who are in different places, or
countries all around the world. If you choose local area
network (LAN) then you won’t be able to play people
outside your area. Also LAN is only used for when you
play with other people that are with you in the same place
and WAN is when you can play with many people as you
can, depending on how many players can you play.
User experience for WAN

● Speed- the speed for WAN is 150mbps and will be faster if you play
with other players that have a similar speed.

● Connectivity- the connection can be fast and while you are playing the
game it will be easy for you playing with other players.

● Reliability- depending on what game you play if you want to play in a

private party instead of public then you do it so that no other user can
enter that party and cannot you are doing. Also it is also secure if you
are using WAN to communicate with other people who are in your
private party.
Frequency of network failure and Performance

If there is problem with you not connecting with other people, that
means that there may be something wrong with your network. It could
be fibre cable cuts, power outages, server hardware failure, security
attacks, failed software and firmware upgrade, unwanted protocols and
device configuration changes.

The performance of WAN uses third-party telecommunication lines to

give out data over broder area. Larger networks like WAN require
monitoring systems for effective management. WAN monitor tools can
test for network issues such as packet loss and latency. Users analyse
network traffic to between different network sites and look how data
flows from a server to client systems and after.
Strengths and Weaknesses of WAN
Strengths
● Setting up a WAN allows you to share data with all your sites without having to send the information over
the internet. Having your WAN encrypt your data before you send it adds an extra layer of protection for
any personal material you may be transferring so that it prevents hackers from getting your data.
● Corporate WANs usually use leased lines instead of broadband connections to form the backbone of their
networks. Using leased lines offers several pluses of a company like, higher upload speeds than typical
broadband connections.
● WANs can help you cut costs and increase profits in a wide variety of other ways. For example, WANs
eliminate reduce of costs of gathering teams from different offices in one location. Your marketing team in
the U.S can work closely with your manufacturing team in Germany using video conferencing and email.
Therefore it saves travel cost so you don’t need to go anywhere.
Weaknesses
● WANs are complex and complicated, so they can be expensive to set up. The bigger the WAN, the costlier
it is to set up. One reason that the setup costs are high is the need to connect far-flung remote-areas.
● WANs open the way certain types of internal security breaches like unauthorised use, information theft and
malicious damage to files.
● Data center managers must be able to detect failures before they occur and reduce data center downtime
as much as possible. Downtime is costly, a study done by infonetics Research estimate that medium and
large businesses in North America lose as much as $100 million annually to IT and communication
technology downtime.
Conclusion and References
Overall I think Wide Area Network (WAN) is a better connection because even though it is
expensive you can play with other players all around the world, chat with them and compete with
them. Also if you have a business meeting you can use WAN to setup a video conference which
can save travel cost.

References
https://www.advantagesndisadvantages.com/advantages-disadvantages-lan.html
https://purple.ai/blogs/advantages-disadvantages-wans/
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/resource-center/networking/wireless-
network.html
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/25890/logical-topology