Trend in Local Area Network Utilization

This paper begins with a brief review of the conceptual background of local area network (LAN). LAN technologies are classified by topology, access method (protocol), signalling method, and medium. This paper also presents the results from a survey designed to investigate the current utilization of LANs in the construction environment. The results indicate that a number of LAN's possible applications already exist for contractors to introduce and use. The extent of LAN usage in construction engineering management is relatively low, especially for contractors with medium to small work volume. The networks used are of varying size; however, they are generally small. The more advanced or complex technologies are less employed by the construction companies. In spite of the relatively slow assimilation of LAN technology that most responding construction companies take in adopting office automation, a few leading construction companies have shown their sophistication in using LAN to meet the communication requirements in their organization as well as their ability to develop communication‐intensive applications.