Data communication is vital to our digital age. It connects us with the devices and services that we rely on. It is comprised of a variety of methods and technologies that determine how information flows from one end to the other. Understanding how it works allows us to design a highly efficient and reliable networks that provide the benefits of greater connection for improved efficiency and productivity of businesses as well as innovations in automation.
Data communication is the transfer of data between computers through a medium or channel. This can be done via cables, radio frequency, satellite signal or wirelessly. The sender is the person or device transmitting data and the receiver is the imp source computer that receives the data. A data communication network could have more than two computers involved in a communication process.
Demultiplexing and multiplexing are two important communication technologies that allow several signals to be sent over one medium simultaneously, which results in optimizing bandwidth usage and decreasing costs. Both of these methods require specialized hardware which can combine and separate signals. This is usually done by custom integrated circuits which are present in a range of communication products like computers, cell phone, and printers.
The mode of data communication that allows simultaneous two-way communication between a pair of devices is referred to as full-duplex communications. This mode is more complicated than simplex transmission, since it requires the capability to send and receive data at the same time.