What is PAN - personal area network?

Question

Computer networks

I saw that in addition to LAN, WAN, MAN ... there is also PAN - personal area network.

The internet says:

A personal network is a set of network devices that do not have a centralized network system.

While:

A typical network, called a local area network (LAN), is built around a centralized routing system.

It turns out that both networks do not cover a large area (PAN, it seems to me, takes up even less space than LAN). But PAN differs from LAN in that it does not use routers / routers in its network (if we talk about classic routers that do not have the functionality of other devices)? For example, PAN can use an access point that does not perform the routing process, do I understand correctly?

Answer 1

PANs are networks built on Bluetooth ad-hoc and similar technologies in which dynamic routing is carried out automatically - it is embedded in the protocol. If we consider the Bluetooth example, then the end device can connect to the PAN if there is at least one device from this network within radio reach. The entire network will automatically “understand” that it is necessary to route packets to a new device through the device through which it connected to the public network.
All devices in such a network are equal: they are clients, servers, and routers with dynamic routing.

Answer 2

for example - connecting 2 computers directly to each other
connecting computers through a "stupid" switch, for example
, and, accordingly, manually assigning network settings, although it is not necessary if 1 PC acts as a DHCP server,
but in fact 3 concepts are usually used. wan, lan, vpn))

Answer 3

> A typical network, called a local area network (LAN), is built around a centralized routing system.
this definition can be immediately thrown out, this is some kind of narrow-minded definition taken out of context.
these are all theoretical proposals for delimiting types of organization.
PAN, for example, can work without routing at all if all devices are within the same fully connected network segment.
PAN, for example, can be a link over a radio network (bluetooth wifi) of several personal devices (pda, printer, keyboard, scanner ...) with a computer.
or communication between human wearable gadgets or the like.
not all theoretical developments have entered the mainstream.
for example, there were developments of radio communication between devices on the human body, where the radio signal propagated along the surface of the skin.