A Local Area Network (LAN) is a private network that connects computers and devices within a limited area like a residence, an office, a building or a campus. On a small scale, LANs are used to connect personal computers to printers. However, LANs can also extend to a few kilometers when used by companies, where a large number of computers share a variety of resources like hardware (e.g. printers, scanners, audiovisual devices etc), software (e.g. application programs) and data.
Wireless LANs use high-frequency radio waves instead of cables for communications. They provide clutter free homes, offices and other networked places. They have an Access Point or a wireless router or a base station for transferring packets to and from the wireless computers and the internet. Most WLANs are based on the standard IEEE 802.11 or WiFi.
Virtual LANs are a logical group of computers that appear to be on the same LAN irrespective of the configuration of the underlying physical network. Network administrators partition the networks to match the functional requirements of the VLANs so that each VLAN comprise a subset of ports on a single or multiple switches. This allows computers and devices on a VLAN to communicate in the simulated environment as if it is a separate LAN.