Computer networks come in many forms: home networks, business networks, and the Internet are three common examples. Devices can use different methods to connect to these (and other types of) networks. There are three basic types of network connections:
Network types: LAN, WAN, PAN, CAN, MAN, SAN, WLAN
Not all network technologies support all types of connections. For example, Ethernet links support broadcast, but IPv6 does not. The sections below describe the different types of connections that are commonly used on networks today.
The term broadband can mean a number of things, but many consumers associate it with the concept of high-speed Internet service installed in a specific location. Private networks in homes, schools, businesses, and other organizations are usually connected to the Internet via fixed broadband.
Several universities, government agencies, and private institutions created important parts of the Internet in the 1970s and 1980s. Household connections to the Internet became rapidly popular in the 1990s with the advent of the World Wide Web (WWW).
