D-Link DES-1526 - Manual (Page 12)

5
VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)
A VLAN is a group of end-stations that are not constrained by
their physical location and can communicate as if a common
broadcast domain, a LAN. The primary utility of using VLAN is to
reduce latency and the need for routers, using faster switching
instead. Other VLAN utility includes:
u Security: Security is increased with the reduction of opportunity in
eavesdropping on a broadcast network because data will be
switched to only those confidential users within the VLAN.
u Cost Reduction: A VLAN can be used to create multiple broadcast
domains, thus eliminating the need of expensive routers.
u 802.1Q VLAN: The VLAN tagging option is a standard set by the
IEEE to facilitate the spanning of VLANs across multiple switches.
(Reference: IEEE Std 802.1Q-1998 Virtual Bridged Local Area
Networks.)