Data Communication – The Lifeblood of Digital Networks
In our increasingly connected digital world data communication is the lifeblood that connects us. Understanding how various modes of data transmission work is vital to creating reliable and efficient networks. From the single-way simplicity of simplex communications to the bidirectional nature that is full-duplex communications different methods determine how data is transmitted and received.
Hardware in a data communications circuit will use different techniques to send data effectively. This includes multiplexing and desmultiplexing. These are processes that combine or separate signals and then send them as a single composite signal. This increases bandwidth and decreases costs. Signal amplifiers and error-detecting codes minimize data corruption caused by electrical or mechanical disturbances.
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 understood and accepted without error.
The sender is the device or computer which generates and sends the message, which could be in the form of text, numbers pictures, sounds, or video. The receiver is the computer or device that receives the message, which could be the same as the sender, or different. The transmission medium is a physical connection that connects the sender and the receiver. It can be wired, for instance, twisted-pair wire or fiber optic cable, or wireless like lasers or radio waves.