Metropolitan Area Network | MAN in networking | Types of Network - MAN

A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic area or region larger than that covered by even a large local area network (LAN) but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network (WAN).


A large computer network which extends to a city or to a large university campus is termed as metropolitan area network or MAN.  The purpose of MAN is to provide the link to the internet in the long run. A MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) usually incorporates a number of LANs to form a network. This large network MANs (Metropolitan Area Network) backbone comprises of an optical fiber set-up.


This is a larger network that connects computer users in a particular  geographic area or region. For example a large university may have a network so large that it may be classified as a MAN.

MAN usually falls between LAN and WAN. It is generally applied to connect geographically dispersed LANs. Therefore the goal of MAN is to develop a communication link between two independent LAN nodes. A MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) is usually established using optical fiber. The network is established using routers and switches. A switch is a port which is active in handling the filtration of data usually coming in the form of frames.  Any switch acts as a dual port, at one end it is handling filtration of data and at the other end managing connections. Router is another device for facilitating the netwosrk connection. Router helps the data packets to identify the path to be taken. Hence in other words it keeps an eye on the data transfer. MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) is usually operated over an area of up to 50kms.

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