What are the different technologies involved in establishing WAN links?

There are various technologies involved in establishing WAN (wide area networks) links. It’s a huge topic. Simply put, there are 3 main technologies-

1. Leased Lines - They are dedicated point-to-point connection between two remote locations. Usually the line is 'leased' from a service provider .

2. Circuit Switching- In this, in both ends, the devices are connected to the service providers switching network (such as telephone network) via modems. Think like you are making a 'data call' between two sites. Example- Dial-up connections and ISDN (integrated services digital network). This kind of link is cheaper and is used as backup for leased lines.

3. Packet Switching- This is the hottest thing in the market. Here data is sent as small 'packets'. So it's faster, but slower than leased lines. Also cheaper, as same network is shared between other users. One example of this is MPLS (multi protocol label switching) which is now being widely used by corporate.

Now talking about protocols (the logical part of WAN), there are various protocols for WAN such as PPP (point to point protocol), HDLC (high level data link control), ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) etc.

Metro Ethernet, FibreOptics, VAS, Serial, Gig, leased lines, Frame Relay, ISDN, all are used for WAN Connectivity

Wide area networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits, Many technologies are available for wide area network links. Examples include circuit switched telephone lines, radio wave transmission, and optic fiber cable. New developments in technologies have successively increased transmission rates.

• Circuit switching involves creating a direct physical connection between sender and receiver, a connection that lasts as long as the two parties need to communicate.
• Unlike circuit switching, message switching does not involve a direct physical connection between sender and receiver.
• Packet switching, although it is also involved in routing data within and between LANs such as Ethernet and Token Ring, is also the backbone of WAN routing.

Wan is a network that cover ralatively large area and connect through different technologies here are some

P2P links

Circuit Switch

Packet Switching etc

Optic Fiber,radio wave transmission, and circuit switched telephone lines.

Frame Relay and ATM and PPPoe