View source for Personal area network

{{Short description|Short distance computer network}}
{{Area networks}}

A '''personal area network''' ('''PAN''') is a [[computer network]] for interconnecting [[electronic devices]] within an individual person's workspace.<ref name="Gratton2013">{{cite book |last1=Gratton |first1=Dean A. |title=The Handbook of Personal Area Networking Technologies and Protocols |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521197267 |pages=15–18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1aE0AAAAQBAJ&q=personal+area+network |access-date=12 December 2018 |language=en |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117220655/https://books.google.com/books?id=1aE0AAAAQBAJ&q=personal+area+network |url-status=live }}</ref> A PAN provides [[data transmission]] among devices such as [[computer]]s, [[smartphone]]s, [[Tablet computer|tablets]] and [[personal digital assistant]]s. PANs can be used for communication among the personal devices themselves, or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet where one master device takes up the role as [[Gateway (telecommunications)|gateway]]. 

A PAN may be carried over wired interfaces such as [[USB]], but is predominantly carried wirelessly, also called a '''wireless personal area network''' ('''WPAN'''). A PAN is wirelessly carried over a low-powered, short-distance [[wireless network]] technology such as [[IrDA]], [[Wireless USB]], [[Bluetooth]], [[NearLink]] or [[Zigbee]]. The reach of a WPAN varies from a few centimeters to a few meters. {{anchor|LPPAN}}WPANs specifically tailored for low-power operation of the sensors are sometimes also called '''low-power personal area network''' ('''LPPAN''') to better distinguish them from [[low-power wide-area network]] (LPWAN).

==Wired==
[[File:Macbook_Pro_connection.jpg|thumb|A cell phone connected to a laptop using the [[USB]] interface, letting them communicate with each other, is a simple example of a wired personal area network (PAN)]]
Wired personal area networks provide short connections between peripherals. Example technologies include [[USB]], [[IEEE 1394]] and [[Thunderbolt (interface)|Thunderbolt]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

==Wireless==
A wireless personal area network (WPAN) is a personal area network in which the connections are wireless. [[IEEE 802.15]] has produced standards for several types of PANs operating in the [[ISM band]] including [[Bluetooth]]. The [[Infrared Data Association]] (IrDA) has produced standards for WPANs that operate using [[infrared communication]]s.

===Bluetooth===
[[File:Subaru_Legacy_handsfree.jpg|thumb|An in-car microphone connected to a [[Bluetooth]] receiver designed to receive calls from a connected cell phone - an example of a WPAN]]
[[Bluetooth]] uses short-range radio waves. Uses in a WPAN include, for example, Bluetooth devices such as keyboards, pointing devices, audio headsets, and printers that may connect to [[smartwatch]]es, [[cell phone]]s, or computers. A Bluetooth WPAN is also called a ''[[piconet]]'', and is composed of up to 8 active devices in a master-slave relationship (a very large number of additional devices can be connected in ''parked'' mode). The first Bluetooth device in the piconet is the master, and all other devices are slaves that communicate with the master. A piconet typically has a range of {{convert|10|m}}, although ranges of up to {{convert|100|m}} can be reached under ideal circumstances. Long-range Bluetooth routers with augmented antenna arrays connect Bluetooth devices up to {{convert|1000|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2017/09/11/cassia-networks-secures-patent-long-range-bluetooth/|title=Long-range Bluetooth: Cassia Networks secures patent|website=www.iotworldtoday.com|access-date=2019-09-09|archive-date=2022-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803192505/https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2017/09/11/cassia-networks-secures-patent-long-range-bluetooth/|url-status=live}}</ref>

With [[Bluetooth mesh networking]] the range and number of devices is extended by using [[mesh networking]] techniques to relay information from one device to another. Such a network doesn't have a master device and may or may not be treated as a WPAN.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boxall |first=Andy |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/bluetooth-5-release-news/ |title=Faster, Longer, And More Capacious: Bluetooth 5 Is Here |publisher=Digital Trends |date=2016-12-08 |access-date=2019-12-18 |archive-date=2019-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730051541/https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/bluetooth-5-release-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===IrDA===
[[IrDA]] uses [[infrared]] light, which has a frequency below the human eye's sensitivity. Infrared is used in other wireless communications applications, for instance, in [[remote control]]s. Typical WPAN devices that use IrDA include printers, keyboards, and other [[serial communication]] interfaces.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Charles D. Knutson |author2=Jeffrey M. Brown |title=IrDA Principles and Protocols |date=2004 |isbn=0-9753892-0-3}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Telecommunication}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order ♦♦♦--->
* [[Ambient network]]s
* [[DASH7]]
* [[6LoWPAN]]
* [[IEEE 802.15]]
* [[Low-rate wireless personal area network]]
* [[Microchip implant (human)]]
* [[RuBee]]
* [[Ultra-wideband]] and [[FM-UWB]] networks
* [[Wireless ad hoc network]] (WANET)
* [[Z-Wave]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscatinline}}
*[http://www.ieee802.org/15/ IEEE 802.15 Working Group for WPAN]

{{Internet access}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Personal Area Network}}
[[Category:Personal area networks]]
[[Category:Bluetooth]]