Smart Buildings Systems for Architects, Owners and Builders

A campus network serving a university, corporation, or government
connects the LANs within each of the buildings to provide a “seamless” cam-
pus network. Campus networks have connectivity between buildings provided
via cable, although alternatives include the use of wireless and telecom-
munications circuits (Fig. 11.2).
Data networks can scale to metropolitan areas and wide area networks
covering countries, continents, and the world. Connectivity between sites can
be provided via point-to-point terrestrial (land lines) or nonterrestrial (such
as satellite or wireless) telecommunications circuits, the Internet, or some
mix of connectivity.
A network consists of three general device types described in the following
sections.

Personal Computers or Other User Devices

A user’s personal computer has its own processing, memory, storage,
operating system, and software applications and can operate independently
of other systems or networks. However connecting the PC to a network allows
it access to other resources including printers, the Internet and centralized
databases or software.
Typical desktop computers and laptops access a network through an Ether-
net cable, wireless device, or a telecommunications circuit. The PCs will have

Building 1 Building 2

Cable or Wireless

Technologies

Administration Building Building 3

Figure 11.2 Campusnetwork.

Data Networks 123