A personal area network (PAN) connects electronic devices within a user's immediate area. The size of a PAN ranges from a few centimeters to a few meters. One of the most common real-world examples of a PAN is the connection between a Bluetooth earpiece and a smartphone. PANs can also connect laptops, tablets, printers, keyboards, and other computerized devices.
PAN network connections can either be wired or wireless. Wired connection methods include USB and FireWire; wireless connection methods include Bluetooth (the most common), WiFi, IrDA, and Zigbee.
While devices within a PAN can exchange data with each other, PANs typically do not include a router and thus do not connect to the Internet directly. A device within a PAN, however, can be connected to a local area network (LAN) that then connects to the Internet. For instance, a desktop computer, a wireless mouse, and wireless headphones can all be connected to each other, but only the computer can connect directly to the Internet.
