In our increasingly interconnected digital world data communication is the vital ingredient that connects us. Understanding how different methods for data transmission work is essential in the design of reliable and efficient networks. From the simple one-way nature of simplex communication to the bidirectional nature that is full-duplex communications different methods affect how data is transmitted and received.
Hardware in a data communications circuit will use different techniques to efficiently transmit data. These include desmultiplexing and multiplexing. These are processes that combine or separate signals and then send them as a single combined signal. This maximizes bandwidth and reduces costs. Signal amplifiers and error-detecting code reduce data corruption due to electrical disturbances or noise.
Data communications also include a set of rules (protocol) that are followed by the computers of the sender and receiver. These rules ensure that the message is properly understood and accepted.
The sender could be a computer or another device that creates the message and then transmits it. It could be in the form text, numbers, pictures, sounds or videos. The computer or device which receives a message could be the same or different from the sender. The transmission medium is a physical pathway that connects the sender and the receiver. It can be wired, like twisted-pair wire or fiber optic cable, or wireless like radio waves or lasers.