220-1101 Question 164
Single answerMetropolitan area network (MAN)A company has three offices located across the same city and wants all sites to communicate over a provider-managed network as if they are part of one larger corporate network. The IT technician is asked to identify the network type that is designed to connect multiple LANs across a metropolitan region without spanning long-distance national links. Which of the following best fits this requirement?
- A
Local area network (LAN)
- B
Metropolitan area network (MAN)
- C
Personal area network (PAN)
- D
Wide area network (WAN)
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The key phrase in the scenario is that the offices are distributed across the same city and need to connect multiple LANs over a metropolitan region. That is the definition of a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). On CompTIA A+ Core 1, candidates should distinguish network types by scope: PAN for personal devices, LAN for a small local site, MAN for city-wide connectivity, and WAN for broader regional, national, or global connections. In real deployments, a MAN is often provided by a telecommunications carrier or ISP using technologies such as Metro Ethernet or leased fiber services to interconnect business locations within a city. This aligns with common networking best practices and standard industry terminology used by CompTIA and network vendors.
- A. Incorrect.
A LAN connects devices within a limited local area such as a single office, floor, or building. Although each office may have its own LAN, a LAN by itself does not describe the larger city-wide connection between multiple sites.
- B. Correct.
A MAN is designed to connect multiple LANs across a city or metropolitan area. This matches the scenario of several offices in the same city using a provider-managed connection to communicate as part of one organizational network.
- C. Incorrect.
A PAN is a very small network centered around an individual, such as Bluetooth devices connected to a phone or laptop. It is not intended for linking business offices across a city.
- D. Incorrect.
A WAN connects networks over very large geographic areas, such as across states, countries, or continents. While a MAN can be considered a type of larger network infrastructure, the best and most specific answer for linking sites across the same city is MAN.