/ˌpiː eɪ ˈɛn/
n. "Small-scale network interconnecting personal electronics within 10m range via Bluetooth or USB unlike WiFi LAN."
PAN, short for Personal Area Network, connects devices in individual workspace (~10m range) using wireless (Bluetooth, Zigbee, UWB) or wired (USB, Firewire) links without infrastructure routers—smartphone+watch+earbuds form piconet while USB hub links printer/keyboard forming wired PAN. Contrasts WiFi BSS requiring AP with direct peer-to-peer topology serving single user vs multi-user LAN/WAN.
Key characteristics of PAN include: Limited Range 1-10m ideal for personal devices (phone, wearables, peripherals); No Infrastructure ad-hoc connections without central AP/router; Low Power WPANs (<1mW avg) enable battery operation unlike WiFi 100mW+; Data Rates 1-25Mbps (Bluetooth BR/LE) vs gigabit LAN; Peer-to-Peer direct device addressing without IP stack.
Conceptual example of PAN usage:
/* Bluetooth PAN profile - NAP/GN (Network Access Point/Group ad-hoc)
struct bt_pan_network {
uint8_t nap_role; // 0=GN, 1=NAP
bdaddr_t local_addr;
bdaddr_t remote_addr;
};
int bt_pan_connect(bdaddr_t *remote) {
// L2CAP connection to PAN-U/L channel
struct l2cap_conn *conn = l2cap_connect(remote, PSM_PANU);
// NAP negotiation: BNEP (Bluetooth Network Encapsulation Protocol)
bnep_setup(conn, ETH_P_IP, 1500); // IP over PAN MTU
// Data transfer: Ethernet II frames over BNEP
send_eth_frame("192.168.1.2", IP_PROTO_UDP, sensor_data, 128);
return bnep_session_active();
}Conceptually, PAN creates personal bubble network linking smartphone+smartwatch+wireless earbuds via Bluetooth piconet—master phone synchronizes health data while USB PAN shares printer without WiFi AP. WPANs enable IoT wearables (Zigbee heart monitor) communicating directly vs infrastructure WLAN, conserving battery via TDD duty cycling unlike always-on SerDes links; UWB PANs deliver cm-level positioning for AR glasses tracking hand gestures within 10m personal space.