AQA · GCSE · Computer Science
Course version: 8525 · Version from Sept 2020
PAN – only Bluetooth needs to be considered.
Full specification wording
Fundamentals of computer networks: PAN – only Bluetooth needs to be considered.
A personal area network (PAN) is a network for one person's own devices over a very short range, typically a few metres around a person.
Checked against the AQA 8525 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 50
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
A personal area network (PAN) is a network for one person's own devices over a very short range, typically a few metres around a person. The specification limits the wireless technology you need to consider for a PAN to Bluetooth, so when a question asks which technology links devices in a PAN, Bluetooth is the expected answer. Picture a phone paired with wireless earbuds, or a laptop sending a file to a nearby phone: the devices belong to one user, sit within a few metres, and connect by Bluetooth rather than by a router-based LAN or a wide-area link. Learn to recognise the clues in a scenario: one owner, very short distance, direct device-to-device pairing, no central network infrastructure. Then choose Bluetooth and reject options such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet or the internet, which describe other scales or media.
What earns the marks
- Identifies a PAN as a network of one person's devices over a very short range, typically a few metres.
- States that Bluetooth is the wireless technology to consider for a PAN.
- Recognises scenario clues: single user, very short distance, direct device-to-device connection.
- Rejects distractors such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet cabling or the internet as not the PAN technology required here.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing a PAN with a LAN.
Put it right: A PAN serves one person's devices over a few metres, whereas a LAN covers a building or site.
Choosing Wi-Fi because it is wireless.
Put it right: The specification restricts PAN technology to Bluetooth, so Wi-Fi is not the expected answer.
Assuming a PAN needs a router or central infrastructure.
Put it right: Bluetooth devices pair directly with each other.
Exam tips
- Underline the scale words in the question (one person, a few metres) before choosing an option.
- Eliminate options that describe larger networks or wired media, then confirm Bluetooth remains.
- Link the answer to a concrete pairing example such as a phone and wireless earbuds to check it fits.
Try the lesson
The start of the Fundamentals of computer networks: PAN – only Bluetooth needs to be considered. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
A person connects their wireless earbuds to their smartphone so that audio can be sent between the two devices. Which type of network is formed by this connection?
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