Understanding the Local Area Network
Anyone who has worked in an office has experienced a local area network, you may even have one at home. A LAN is a
collection of connected devices that form a network
in a defined location. That may be your home, it could be an
office, or even a group of buildings. Through the LAN, the various devices can share resources such as a printer,
data storage or internet connection, as well as
communicate with each other.
If you have a laptop and a computer at home, as well as a smart TV and games console, they will usually form a local
area network. You can then access your printer from both computers, share internet connections, even stream from a
games console onto the smart TV. These principles apply to all local area networks, the scale changes depending on
use, of course.
Uses for Local Area Networks
While the home is one application, there are many ways that a LAN may be used, including:
Connecting devices so they can communicate with each other
Sharing resources such as a printer or server
Allowing for extremely rapid data transfer between devices
Enabling telematics solutions to function by
connecting a variety of devices together
How do Local Area Networks Function?
While LAN can connect a variety of different devices using both wired and wireless connections, they all work on
some basic principles:
Configuration — A LAN consists of a number of devices within a specific area all connected
together by wired or wireless communications, or a combination of both.
Communication — Devices can communicate through a wired system called ethernet , or a
wireless Wi-Fi, and often both for extremely fast and secure data sharing.
Sharing — Whether printers or internet access, files or connected devices such as cameras or
sensors, computers on the LAN can share access to them all.
An example from the auto industry that shows how a LAN can enable a number of devices to seamlessly communicate and
share resources comes in the application of telemetry using
an AutoPi device such as the AutoPi TMU CM4 , which can be
broken down as follows:
Hardware — The AutoPi TMU CM4 utilizes the Cypress CYW43455 Chipset, which supports LAN
formation.
Wi-Fi — Using both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac), the flexible connectivity
maximizes the types of device it can communicate with.
Bluetooth — With Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE built in, the LAN adds more
flexibility for ways to communicate with each device for robust operation in any conditions.
Benefits of the System — In the AutoPi TMU CM4, LAN facilitates high-speed data communication
and processing, crucial for effective telematics operations such as real-time data analysis and vehicle
diagnostics.
Conclusion
Local Area Networks are at the heart of modern computing, but reach beyond those applications to power a number of
other technologies, especially telematics such as the AutoPi TMU CM4 based system outlines above.
LAN systems allow for tight integration of devices, supporting the data-driven solutions for vehicle management and
other applications that we are becoming reliant on. The ability for high speed, secure data transmission is crucial
today, and will remain indispensable in the future.
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