Connected computers are referred to as a network. There are various physical ways to establish this connectivity such as wires and radio waves. The rules about how this is done are called a protocols and the protocol is often determined by the physical context of the computers.
Let’s start with little networks (literally). If you have a cell phone with a wireless earpiece, these two devices probably connect using a protocol called “Bluetooth” (not a dental condition). The characteristics of this connection are that it is wireless and has a very short range.
The network exists around your person, thus called a Personal Area Network (PAN). And you thought you already knew what a PAN was.
Now consider your office computers which are likely connected through wires. A different protocol is used, probably Ethernet using wires whose ends look much like a phone jack. This connectivity can extend a few feet to thousands of feet using the right equipment. It is called a Local Area Network (LAN).
You can extend your LAN to wireless devices by deploying a wireless router which is sometimes called a wireless access point. This wireless connectivity is commonly called Wi-Fi and you can find it at hotels, airports and coffee shops. All they’ve done is extend their LAN to customers using a wireless access point.
The final stop on this network tour has to look at connecting computers that can be hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. It may link computers that exist across metropolitan, regional or even national boundaries and will require the participation of a phone or cable company to establish.
Based on the title of this post you should guess that I’m now referring to a WAN (Wide Area Network). It is this networking context that would be used to connect multiple dental offices. There are a number of WAN “flavors” that can affect performance and cost, but we’ll get into that next week.
With the direction dentistry is heading, connecting provider computers will likely become a necessary right click.
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