Wiktionary
n. A wireless communications network, intended for devices within a small room or cubicle.
Wikipedia
A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for data transmission amongst devices such as computers, telephones, tablets and personal digital assistants. PANs can be used for communication amongst the personal devices themselves (interpersonal communication), or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet (an uplink) where one "master" device takes up the role as internet router.
A wireless personal area network (WPAN) is a low-powered PAN carried over a short-distance wireless network technology such as:
- INSTEON
- IrDA
- Wireless USB
- Bluetooth
- Z-Wave
- ZigBee
- Body Area Network
The reach of a WPAN varies from a few centimeters to a few meters. A PAN may also be carried over wired computer buses such as USB and FireWire.
Although a (secured) Wi-Fi tethering connection could be used by only one single user it is not considered to be a PAN.
Usage examples of "personal area network".
He's sitting on the edge of a bed in a charmingly themed Amsterdam hotel with a recurrent motif of philosophers, wearing jeans and collarless shirt and a vest of pockets crammed with the detritus of a long-obsolete personal area network, his crazily clunky projection specs sitting on the bedside table.