(
Wide
Area
Network port) The socket on a network device that is wired to an external network, which is typically the Internet. In the home and small office, a WAN port is an RJ-45 Ethernet port on a router that is wired to a cable, DSL or FiOS modem. On small routers, the WAN port is often labeled "Internet." Contrast with
LAN port. See
RJ-45,
Ethernet and
wireless router.
RJ-45 Ethernet Plug and Socket
RJ-45 plugs and sockets look like telephone plugs and sockets, only larger. Although all network routers and switches have RJ-45 ports, most of them are for local network connections and not WAN ports.