In today’s network usage, whether it is home or company, most people’s Internet connection is called a broadband connection. Routers that provide Internet connectivity usually have multiple ports on the back that allow different devices to be connected, such as computers, printers, and other network devices. These ports include WAN port and multiple LAN port.
What is a LAN (Local Area Network) port?
LAN port, also known as network port or network connection. It is characterised by ease of installation, cost savings, ease of expansion, etc., making it widely used in all types of homes and offices. It is an outlet used to connect computers, servers, video game consoles and other devices to the Internet. It allows for file management, application sharing, printer sharing, and more. In addition, they are usually located on the back of computers and network devices and are only used to establish a wired (not wireless) Internet connection.
What is a WAN (Wide Area Network) port?
WAN: Abbreviation for Wide Area Network, also known as Wide Area Network, Extranet, Public Network. A WAN is characterised as a remote network that connects computers communicating on LANs or MANs in different areas, usually connecting a large physical area, such as a city, state or national computer network. The WAN port on the router is used to connect the router to the Internet. The router is responsible for routing traffic between the local network devices and the modem. Each network device can now connect to the Internet.
What are the differences between WAN port and LAN port?
1. Speed
The LAN port has a higher bandwidth of up to 1000 Mbps. The WAN port has a lower bandwidth than the LAN port of up to 100 Mbps. this is due to the fact that the WAN can be subject to more complex network interference, usually the WAN involves multiple networks and users, like in home broadband, where family members share the same WiFi, different types of network protocols, etc., so there are more sources of interference and overall performance is unstable. LANs, on the other hand, have relatively less interference, mainly because there can be a limit to their coverage, number of devices, etc. In addition, LANs often use specialised connectivity technologies to improve stability and speed.
2. Network Equipment
LAN and WAN use different network equipment. LAN equipment usually focuses on localised networks, while WAN equipment is more concerned with cross-geographic connectivity and data transfer. Each device is suitable for different network requirements.
LAN port devices：Switches, Routers, Wireless Access Points, Hubs, Gateways
WAN port Devices：Routers, Modems, Firewalls, Load Balancers, WAN Optimisation Devices
The respective devices are suitable for different network requirements. Therefore we need to have different options.
3. Functions and Uses
The LAN port can connect multiple devices (such as computers, printers, etc.) to a local area network (LAN). These devices can share files, printers, and other resources over the LAN. However, due to mutual sharing it can lead to unstable transmission rates and reduce transmission speeds . The WAN port is used to connect to a Wide Area Network (WAN), usually an Internet Service Provider (ISP) via a modem or wireless broadband connection.The WAN port is the router’s interface to the external Internet and is responsible for transmitting traffic from the internal network to the external network and receiving data from the Internet.
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