FAQs
What Is A Local Area Network (LAN)?
A local area network, more commonly known as a “LAN”, is a group of computers within a limited physical location that share the same internet connection. A LAN can be made up of virtually anything that connects to the internet: desktops, laptops, mobile devices, IoT devices, cables, routers, and switches among other devices. It can be as small as one user connecting to a home network, or as huge as an enterprise such as an office or a university, with thousands of connected computers.
Because devices that are part of the same LAN share an internet connection, they can easily share files with one another, connect to the same IoT devices (such as printers), and be used to remotely access one another (e.g., an IT helpdesk remotely accessing a user’s computer to troubleshoot it).
What Are The Different Types Of LAN?
There are two types of LAN: client/server LANs, and peer-to-peer LANs:
- Client/server LANs are made up of a group of computers (“clients”) connected to a single central server. A client is any device that can access the internet or company applications. It will connect to the server via a cable (e.g., ethernet) or via a wireless connection (e.g., Wi-Fi). Usually, the server stores databases and applications, which the user can access through a client device connected to that server. The server is maintained by an IT admin, who also governs processes such as network traffic, device access, application access, and file storage. Client/server LANs are usually used by businesses.
- Peer-to-peer LANs don’t have a central server—the devices (here called “peers”) simply connect to one another, sharing data through wired or wireless connections to a switch or router. Peer-to-peer LANs are typically smaller than client/server LANs because their lack of a central server means they can’t cope with heavy workloads. Peer-to-peer LANs are usually used by home networks, and some small businesses.
What Is A LAN Monitor?
A LAN monitor is a software application that gives IT admins complete visibility into all the devices connected to their LAN, including servers, user endpoints, IoT devices, routers, and so on. It scans the network to create an inventory of all the assets connected to it, usually creating a visual representation of the network called a “topography map” that shows admins what’s on their network and how those assets are interconnected.
The LAN monitor then continuously assesses each asset to make sure they’re all working as they should, and alerts admins in real-time to any operational issues or suspicious activity (such as a connection from a new, unknown device, or a large increase in traffic from a device). This enables admins to remediate performance problems before they impact their users, as well as identify and investigate any potential malicious activity on their LAN.
What Are The Benefits Of LAN Monitoring?
There are four main benefits of using a LAN monitoring tool:
- Gain insights into network operations. A LAN monitor delivers detailed insights into the health and performance status of all the assets within your network. If you have a complex LAN—such as a client/server LAN comprising hundreds or even thousands of clients, or a distributed LAN that operates across multiple locations—it can be especially difficult and time-consuming to monitor each asset manually. A LAN monitor automates this and presents its findings graphically, so it’s easier to understand, and in a central management console, so it’s easier to access.
- Proactively improve network performance. LAN monitors offer automated and customizable alerts, which notify you in real-time of any health or performance changes across your LAN. This means you can quickly remediate any issues as soon as they’re detected, to minimize the impact on your end users. Some LAN monitors also use machine learning to predict bandwidth usage or future congestion, downtime, or outages, so that you can proactively solve those issues before they occur and keep your network running seamlessly.
- Identify and remediate malicious activity. By visualizing your data, the LAN monitor makes it easier for you to spot any anomalies across your network. By alerting you to any changes in real-time, you are able to quickly investigate any suspicious activity that could indicate your LAN has been breached.
- Identify and justify the need for equipment upgrades. LAN monitors deliver insights into the health and performance of your network assets. If you track this data over time, you can see which systems are consistently underperforming and need upgrading. By providing detailed logs of this data, a LAN monitor makes it easier for you to justify the cost of an upgrade.
What Features Should You Look For In A LAN Monitor?
No two networks are the same, and no two network monitors are the same. LAN monitors all offer a slightly different feature set to cater to different requirements; however, there are some features that every LAN monitoring tool should offer. Here are the top features to look for in a LAN monitor:
- Compatibility with all the assets that make up your LAN, if you buy a LAN monitor that doesn’t monitor your entire LAN, you’ll be left with visibility gaps and a false sense of security.
- Automatic network scanning and visualization, to provide you with an immediate, at-a-glance overview of your entire LAN.
- Continuous monitoring, to ensure that you’re able to respond to changes and incidents as soon as they occur to minimize performance downtime and the impact of malicious behavior.
- Real-time alerting on any changes, failures, points of stress, or anomalous activity.
- Customization of alerts and reports, so that you can fine-tune the solution to the issues that are most important to your business.
- Ease of deployment, so that you can get it running—and running effectively—as quickly as possible. If you’re considering a LAN monitor with a more complex deployment process, you should make sure that your IT team are equipped to deal with that, or that the vendor offers robust onboarding and deployment support.
