Working on a Local Area Network adds enormously to the range of things that you can do with your PC. The difference is quite simple. A non-networked, stand-alone PC limits you to its own operating system, the software available on it, and the peripherals (like printers) attached to it. But when your PC is networked, it can access the pooled resources of the network and its capabilities increase manifold.
A network encompasses the whole gamut of hardware and software components that make a computer network operate.
Some typical hardware components of a LAN are: