What is the primary difference between a LAN and a WAN?

The primary difference between a Local Area Network (LAN) and a Wide Area Network (WAN) lies in the physical distance that the network spans. A LAN is designed for a limited area, such as a home, office, or campus, connecting devices within a relatively small geographic region. This means that the speed and performance of a LAN are generally optimized for that confined environment, allowing for high data transfer rates and low latency.

In contrast, a WAN covers a much larger geographical area, which can range from a city to different countries or even continents. WANs often use leased telecommunication lines, satellites, or internet connections to connect multiple LANs, which can introduce higher latency and potentially slower speeds compared to LANs. Therefore, the defining characteristic between the two types of networks is fundamentally their scope — LANs focus on small areas, while WANs extend across vast distances.