WAN Technologies

Having looked at the differences between the various switching methods, we can now take a better look at the technologies used to create WANs. Several technologies, including the following, can be used to implement WANs:

  • Dial-up modem connections

  • ISDN

  • T-carrier lines

  • Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)

  • ATM

  • X.25

  • Frame Relay

  • Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)/OC-x

These technologies vary in terms of cost, complexity, and switching methods. We'll start our discussion by looking at perhaps the simplest of WAN technologies—the modem.

Dial-up Modem Connections

Today, people are more likely to associate a modem with a dial-up Internet service provider (ISP) account than with a WAN technology. But the reality is that for many years, and ...

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