There are several options available for WAN connectivity:

Transmission rates have increased over time, and will continue to increase. Around 1960, 110 bit/s (bits per second) line was normal at the edge of the WAN, while 56 kbit/s to 64 kbit/s core links were considered "fast." At this time (2016) homes are connected to the Internet with ADSL or Fiber Optic at speeds ranging from 1 Mbit/s to 600 Mbit/s, and connections at the core of a WAN can vary from 1 Gbit/s to 300 Gbit/s.

Recently, with the proliferation of low-cost Internet connections, many companies and organizations have turned to VPNs to interconnect their networks, creating a WAN network in that way. Companies such as Citrix, Cisco, New Edge Networks") and Check Point offer solutions for creating VPN networks.

There are several types of WAN networks, and three of them are grouped under the classification of switched network (in physics, switching consists of changing the destination of a signal or an electrical current):.

By circuits.

They are dial-up networks, such as the basic telephone network (PSTN) and ISDN. During the time the call lasts, the bandwidth is dedicated.

By message.

Their switches are usually computers that perform the task of accepting traffic from each terminal that is connected to them. These devices evaluate the address found in the header of the messages and can store it for later use. It is worth mentioning that it is also possible to delete, redirect and reply to messages automatically.

By packages.

Each message sent by the users is broken up and transformed into a number of small parts called packets, which are put back together once they reach the destination computer, to reconstruct the initial data. These packets move through the network independently, and this has a positive impact on traffic, in addition to facilitating error correction, since in the event of failures, only the affected parts should be forwarded. Bandwidth is shared among all users using the network.

Router topologies in a wide area network:.

There are several options available for WAN connectivity:

Transmission rates have increased over time, and will continue to increase. Around 1960, 110 bit/s (bits per second) line was normal at the edge of the WAN, while 56 kbit/s to 64 kbit/s core links were considered "fast." At this time (2016) homes are connected to the Internet with ADSL or Fiber Optic at speeds ranging from 1 Mbit/s to 600 Mbit/s, and connections at the core of a WAN can vary from 1 Gbit/s to 300 Gbit/s.

Recently, with the proliferation of low-cost Internet connections, many companies and organizations have turned to VPNs to interconnect their networks, creating a WAN network in that way. Companies such as Citrix, Cisco, New Edge Networks") and Check Point offer solutions for creating VPN networks.

There are several types of WAN networks, and three of them are grouped under the classification of switched network (in physics, switching consists of changing the destination of a signal or an electrical current):.

By circuits.

They are dial-up networks, such as the basic telephone network (PSTN) and ISDN. During the time the call lasts, the bandwidth is dedicated.

By message.

Their switches are usually computers that perform the task of accepting traffic from each terminal that is connected to them. These devices evaluate the address found in the header of the messages and can store it for later use. It is worth mentioning that it is also possible to delete, redirect and reply to messages automatically.

By packages.

Each message sent by the users is broken up and transformed into a number of small parts called packets, which are put back together once they reach the destination computer, to reconstruct the initial data. These packets move through the network independently, and this has a positive impact on traffic, in addition to facilitating error correction, since in the event of failures, only the affected parts should be forwarded. Bandwidth is shared among all users using the network.

Router topologies in a wide area network:.