In our increasingly interconnected digital world, data communication is the vital ingredient that connects us. Understanding how different modes of data transmission function is key to creating reliable and efficient networks. Different methods determine the method by which data is transmitted.
The hardware in a data communications circuit employs a variety of techniques to transmit data efficiently. These include desmultiplexing and multiplexing. These are processes that combine or separate signals and then transmit them as a single multi-channel signal. This maximizes the utilization of bandwidth and reduces the cost. Error detecting codes and signal amplifiers also minimize data corruption from noise or momentary electrical disturbances which can alter bits of information as they travel across a communication channel.
Data communications also have rules (protocol) that are followed by both the computer systems that transmit and receive data. These rules ensure that the message is read and accepted without error.
The sender can be a computer or other device that generates the message and transmits it. It may be in the form text, numbers, images or sound recordings. The receiver is the device or computer that receives the message, which can be the same as the sender, or different. The transmission medium is the physical way between the sender and the receiver, which can be a wired medium, such as twisted pair wire or fiber optic cable, or wireless, such as lasers, microwaves or radio waves.
