Which type of network typically connects computers within a single building?

A local area network (LAN) is designed to connect computers and devices within a limited geographic area, such as a single building or a group of nearby buildings. This type of network supports high-speed data transfer and is commonly used in offices, schools, and homes to enable users to share resources like printers, files, and internet connections.

LANs are characterized by their relatively small scale, low latency, and high bandwidth, which makes them ideal for environments where many devices need to communicate with each other quickly and efficiently. This contrasts with other types of networks, such as metropolitan area networks (MAN), which cover larger geographic areas such as cities, or wide area networks (WAN), which connect devices over vast distances. A virtual network (VN) typically refers to a software-defined network that may span across various physical networks but does not specifically denote the configuration for a single building.