Campus Area Network (CAN)

Definition - What does Campus Area Network (CAN) mean?

A campus area network (CAN) is a network of multiple interconnected local area networks (LAN) in a limited geographical area. A CAN is smaller than a wide area network (WAN) or metropolitan area network (MAN).

A CAN is also known as a corporate area network (CAN).

Techopedia explains Campus Area Network (CAN)

In most cases, CANs own shared network devices and data exchange media.

CAN benefits are as follows:

  • Cost-effective
  • Wireless, versus cable
  • Multidepartmental network access
  • Single shared data transfer rate (DTR)

The following are examples of CAN implementations:

  • Stanford University's SUNet network
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Project Athena

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