What Does Wide Area Network (WAN) Mean?

A wide area network (WAN) is a network that exists over a large-scale geographical area, as compared to other network types, such as a local area network (LAN).

Techopedia Explains Wide Area Network (WAN)

In many ways, a WAN works in a similar fashion to a LAN, just on a larger scale. Typically, TCP/IP is the protocol used for a WAN, in combination with devices such as routers, switches, firewalls and modems.