Personal Area Network

What is it? 

A personal area network (PAN) is a technology that interconnects devices commonly within the range of a single user covering nearly 10 meters. It allows devices in small office or home office (SOHO) environments to interact and exchange resources, data, and applications through wired or wireless means. 

PANs are also applied for body area networks, which move with a person and are generally established when they connect their smartphone and Bluetooth headphone. One more application of PANs is offline networks, also known as home networks, involving devices, printers, TVs, game systems, laptops, etc., integrated through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. 

How does it work? 

Usually PANs comprise laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearable technologies, printers, and entertainment devices. These components are typically interconnected without wires. This kind of PAN can be linked to the Internet or other networks wirelessly as well. 

Unlike LANs, personal area networks are mainly utilized for low-data-rate applications and can embrace mobile devices. Benefits of PANs include reliable and stable connection, easy data synchronization between devices, and high portability.