What Is A Personal Area Network?

Date First Published: 10th April 2022

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what a personal area network is in this article.

Often abbreviated to a PAN, a personal area network is a small network designed to connect devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and printers to each other within a short span, usually ranging from a few centimetres to a few metres. An example of a personal area network is a Bluetooth connection between a laptop and headphones. This connects the laptop and headphones to each other wirelessly using radio waves within a short span, usually up to 5-10 metres. Because this personal area network is wireless, it is known as a wireless personal area network (WPAN).

Note:

PANs can be wired or wireless. An example of a wired PAN is the sharing of mobile data between a laptop and a smartphone through a USB cable, known as tethering, enabling the laptop to receive the connection of the smartphone.

PANs are often designed to exchange data with each other. However, they do not directly connect to the internet and do not normally include a router or switch. For example, if speakers are connected to a laptop through Bluetooth, that device can connect to the laptop, but only the laptop can directly connect to the internet. They are not the same as other types of networks, such as LANs, WANs, and MANs, since PANs work by exchanging data with nearby devices. A LAN would work by connecting all the devices within a home or organisation together.