Talk:Local area network

add'l comments on LAN
Why haven't you included descriptions of LAN as it relates to video??? I would like to invite you to add this to your written article please. Otherwise, this has been a great read.)

Local Network is a SuperSet of Local Area Network (LAN)
Gentlemen:

In his book, "Local Networks, An Introduction" by Dr. William Stallings, PhD. in Computer Science from M.I.T. in 1971, Copyright (c) 1984, Macmillan Publishing Co., Div. of Mamillan, Inc., on page 2, he defines what a "Local Network" is: "A local network is a communications network that provides interconnection of a variety of data communicating devices within a small area." It is a SuperSet of the "Local Area Network (LAN)"--the page that Wikipedia redirects one to when looking up "Local Network." I think you should get Dr. Stallings to write an article for your "Local Network" page and then redirect from it to all the different kinds of local networks he mentions.

Sincerely yours,

JPD 03:06, 30 April 2012 (UTC) Its created by Askar Ali — Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.238.122.199 (talk) 02:49, 13 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Stallings classifies local network into: local area network (LAN), high-speed local network (HSLN) and digital switch/computerized branch exchange (CBX). His 1984 taxonomy does not appear to have been adopted. ~Kvng (talk) 17:06, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

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 * Link no longer used ~Kvng (talk) 17:06, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

First LAN
A recent edit at Local area network added a claim regarding the "first implementation of a LAN ... in 1980" for an electronic voting system of the European Parliament. The reference for that is not sufficient for a claim of first. See reliable sources and WP:REDFLAG. Many topics have conflicting claims of first—the first telephone/radio/television/email etc. For an earlier example regarding this topic, see November 2007 which added "The first LAN put into service occurred in 1964 at the Livermore Laboratory to support atomic weapons research." A claim of first would need to be backed by a completely independent reliable source. Johnuniq (talk) 01:10, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Claim to first LAN/on of first LANs for Electronic voting systems for the European Parliament
The system described in the linked article sounds like a terminal system to me – where subordinate devices talk to a master - rather than a computer network that allows all nodes to talk to each other. We need to add a clarification to the source or remove the claim. --Zac67 (talk) 21:00, 26 January 2021 (UTC)
 * It looks like it was a multidrop bus with Master/slave (technology) arbitration. We could argue about whether that qualifies as a LAN or we can set that aside for now and have a look at 's issue with the statement above. ~Kvng (talk) 15:37, 29 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Without an independent source the material is not suitable here. I wouldn't mind if it were mentioned without any claim of first or LAN (just that a system of voting terminals was used in 1979). I also wouldn't mind if it were removed. Johnuniq (talk) 01:24, 30 January 2021 (UTC)

Grammatical error
"Most wireless LANs use Wi-Fi as wireless adapters are typically integrated into smartphones, tablet computers and laptops." The sentence formation doesn't seem good with this one. I suggest someone to correct it CrAzY1357924680 (talk) 13:44, 11 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Don't see anything wrong there. --Zac67 (talk) 15:14, 11 June 2023 (UTC)
 * The main problem I see with that sentence is that it seems to be implying that there's a cause-and-effect relationship, with the cause being that smartphones, tablets and laptops have integrated Wi-Fi and the effect being that most wireless LANs use Wi-Fi. Laptops originally didn't have integrated Wi-Fi (I remember AirPort adapters being an option with early Apple laptops, for example), so were most wireless LANs Wi-Fi based for other reasons, and did they become integrated into laptops - and designed into smartphones and tablets - because Wi-Fi LANs were common and because it became easier and cheaper to integrate Wi-Fi into laptops, smartphones. and tablets? Guy Harris (talk) 21:58, 11 June 2023 (UTC)
 * That is something to consider. I'd say both: the primary demand for wireless solutions led to adapters being integrated in laptops and small routers, which in turn furthered wireless demand. When smartphones and tablets came up, the mutual effect increased. But we'd need a source for that. --Zac67 (talk) 05:01, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
 * But we'd need a source for that. Yup, just as the original Most wireless LANs use Wi-Fi as wireless adapters are typically integrated into... was uncited if it's taken as a cause-effect claim (and even "most wireless LANs use Wi-Fi" would need a source). Guy Harris (talk) 20:15, 12 June 2023 (UTC)