MAN stands for metropolitan area network and it is basically a computer network that is made by connecting multiple LAN’S. MAN covers a geographical area which is known as the metropolitan area. It serves as a connection which is larger than LAN(Local Area Network) but smaller than WAN(Wide Area Network). It generally covers the area of a city. It connects different LAN’s in an area by point to point connection. MAN also provides sharing of regional resources. MAN is very effective to use in large area like a city or a large campus. 

Examples:
Cable TV network and telephone networks

Characteristics : 
 

• Area Covered – 
  It covers an area from 5 km to 50 km which can cover a city.
• Ownership – 
  MAN is owned by a group of users rather than a single company.
• High speed – 
  MAN provides high speed network which uses shared regional resources.
• Size – 
  Size of MAN is in between WAN and LAN.

Advantages : 
 

• MAN covers a larger area than LAN.
• It has less implementation cost and it uses less resources.
• It provides higher security than WAN.
• It can cover area as large as a city.
• MAN is a faster way to connect two fast LANs together. This is due to the fast configuration of links.
• In some installation of MANs, users can share their internet connection. So multiple users can get the same high-speed internet.

   
Disadvantages : 
 

• MAN is not easily manageable as it becomes very complex.
• It requires highly skilled people to look after it.
• It requires more cables for connecting the LAN’s.
• It has high management cost
• It covers smaller area than WAN.
• It is only used in metropolitan areas.

Examples of metropolitan area network (MAN) :

 Some of the examples of MAN are:-

• Digital cable television
• Used in government agencies
• Used to connect several branches of the local school
• A network of fire stations
• University campuses
• Networking between community colleges within the country
• Cable broadband