Data Communication

Transferring data over a transmission medium between two or more devices,

systems, or places is known as data communication. Nowadays, computing
and telecommunications depend heavily on this data transmission, which
makes a variety of applications conceivable, including email, video chatting,
the Internet, and many more things.
In this article, we will learn about Data communication, Definition,
Components, Types, and Channels.

Components of Data Communication

A communication system is made up of the following components:
1. Message: A message is a piece of information that is to be transmitted
from one person to another. It could be a text file, an audio file, a video
file, etc.
2. Sender: It is simply a device that sends data messages. It can be a
computer, mobile, telephone, laptop, video camera, or workstation, etc.
3. Receiver: It is a device that receives messages. It can be a computer,
telephone mobile, workstation, etc.
4. Transmission Medium / Communication Channels: Communication
channels are the medium that connect two or more workstations.
Workstations can be connected by either wired media or wireless media.
5. Set of rules (Protocol): When someone sends the data (The sender), it
should be understandable to the receiver also otherwise it is meaningless.
For example, Sonali sends a message to Chetan. If Sonali writes in Hindi
and Chetan cannot understand Hindi, it is a meaningless conversation.
Therefore, there are some set of rules (protocols) that is followed by every
computer connected to the internet and they are:
 TCP(Transmission Control Protocol): It is responsible for dividing
messages into packets on the source computer and reassembling the
received packet at the destination or recipient computer. It also makes
sure that the packets have the information about the source of the
message data, the destination of the message data, the sequence in
which the message data should be re-assembled, and checks if the
message has been sent correctly to the specific destination.
 IP(Internet Protocol): Do You ever wonder how computer determines
which packet belongs to which device. What happens if the message you
sent to your friend is received by your father? Scary Right. Well! IP is
responsible for handling the address of the destination computer so that
each packet is sent to its proper destination.

Type of data communication

As we know that data communication is communication in which we can
send or receive data from one device to another. The data communication is
divided into three types:
1. Simplex Communication: It is one-way communication or we can say
that unidirectional communication in which one device only receives and
another device only sends data and devices uses their entire capacity in
transmission. For example, IoT, entering data using a keyboard, listening
music using a speaker, etc.
2. Half Duplex communication: It is a two-way communication, or we can
say that it is a bidirectional communication in which both the devices can
send and receive data but not at the same time. When one device is
sending data then another device is only receiving and vice-versa. For
example, walkie-talkie.
3. Full-duplex communication: It is a two-way communication or we can
say that it is a bidirectional communication in which both the devices can
send and receive data at the same time. For example, mobile phones,
landlines, etc.

Communication Channels
Communication channels are the medium that connects two or more
workstations. Workstations can be connected by either wired media or
wireless media. It is also known as a transmission medium. The transmission
medium or channel is a link that carries messages between two or more
devices. We can group the communication media into two categories:
 Guided media transmission
 Unguided media transmission
1. Guided Media: In this transmission medium, the physical link is created
using wires or cables between two or more computers or devices, and then
the data is transmitted using these cables in terms of signals. Guided media
transmission of the following types:
1. Twisted pair cable: It is the most common form of wire used in
communication. In a twisted-pair cable, two identical wires are wrapped
together in a double helix. The twisting of the wire reduces the crosstalk. It is
known as the leaking of a signal from one wire to another due to which signal
can corrupt and can cause network errors. The twisting protects the wire
from internal crosstalk as well as external forms of signal interference. Types
of Twisted Pair Cable :
 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP): It is used in computers and telephones
widely. As the name suggests, there is no external shielding so it does not
protects from external interference. It is cheaper than STP.
 Shielded Twisted Pair (STP): It offers greater protection from crosstalk
due to shield. Due to shielding, it protects from external interference. It is
heavier and costlier as compare to UTP.
2. Coaxial Cable: It consists of a solid wire core that is surrounded by one or
more foil or wire shields. The inner core of the coaxial cable carries the
signal and the outer shield provides the ground. It is widely used for
television signals and also used by large corporations in building security
systems. Data transmission of this cable is better but expensive as
compared to twisted pair.
3. Optical fibers: Optical fiber is an important technology. It transmits large
amounts of data at very high speeds due to which it is widely used in internet
cables. It carries data as a light that travels inside a thin glass fiber. The fiber
optic cable is made up of three pieces:
1. Core: Core is the piece through which light travels. It is generally created
using glass or plastic.
2. Cladding: It is the covering of the core and reflects the light back to the
core.
3. Sheath: It is the protective covering that protects fiber cable from the
environment.
2. Unguided Media: The unguided transmission media is a transmission
mode in which the signals are propagated from one device to another device
wirelessly. Signals can wave through the air, water, or vacuum. It is generally
used to transmit signals in all directions. Unguided Media is further divided
into various parts :
1. Microwave: Microwave offers communication without the use of cables.
Microwave signals are just like radio and television signals. It is used in long-
distance communication. Microwave transmission consists of a transmitter,
receiver, and atmosphere. In microwave communication, there are parabolic
antennas that are mounted on the towers to send a beam to another
antenna. The higher the tower, the greater the range.
2. Radio wave: When communication is carried out by radio frequencies,
then it is termed radio waves transmission. It offers mobility. It is consists of
the transmitter and the receiver. Both use antennas to radiate and capture
the radio signal.
3. Infrared: It is short-distance communication and can pass through any
object. It is generally used in TV remotes, wireless mouse, etc.

What is Synchronous Transmission?

Synchronous transmission is a method of sending large amounts of

data. It is widely regarded as an effective and dependable method
of data transfer. During synchronous transmission, the clocks of the
sender and receiver are unified, and data transmission occurs
between the two without an interval.

Because the volume of data being transmitted is relatively large,

data signals are streamed continuously, accompanied by timing
signals. Each character has start and stop bits, which show how they
should be combined into data frames.

The first part of a data frame contains a set of synchronization

characters that notify the receiver that data has been received. For
the data to be transmitted correctly, both the sender and the
receiver must be synced. This is another function performed by the
synchronization characters.
 Source

Examples of Synchronous Transmission

The following instances of data transmission would be considered

synchronous:

 Transfer of large text files.

 Chatrooms.
 Video conferencing.
 Telephone conversations

Advantages of Synchronous Transmission

Synchronous data transmission has numerous advantages. These

include:

 Large volumes of data can be transmitted.

 Connected devices can communicate in real time.
 Data is sent continuously, without pauses between bytes.
 Timing errors are reduced.

Disadvantages of Synchronous Transmission

While there are several advantages to synchronous data

transmission, it can also feature drawbacks. These can include:

 The clocks of both the sender and the receiver must operate at the
same frequency, simultaneously.
 Accuracy depends upon the receiver’s capacity to accurately and
precisely count the received bits.

What is Asynchronous Transmission?

Asynchronous transmission, sometimes referred to as start/stop

transmission, involves sending data to the receiver using the flow
control method. Data is synchronized between the sender and the
receiver without the use of a clock.

Data is transmitted one character or 8 bits at a time. In total, 10 bits

are transmitted, with a start bit preceding the character, and a stop
bit following it. In this way, characters-based synchronization is
employed. This removes the need for two-way communication.

One of the characteristics of asynchronous transmission is that the

receiver is largely unaware of when data will arrive. The first bit has
 passed before the receiver has detected the data and had a chance
to respond.

Source

Examples of Asynchronous Transmission

There are many examples of asynchronous transmission occurring

all around us. These include:

 Emails
 Forums
 Radios

Advantages of Asynchronous Transmission

There are several advantages to using asynchronous transmission,

including:

 There is no need to synchronize the transmitter and receiver.

 Highly flexible method of transmitting data, usable in many different
scenarios.
 Simple to implement.
 Signals can be sent from sources with different bit rates.
 Data transmission can resume as soon as data byte transmission is
available.

Disadvantages of Asynchronous Transmission

Asynchronous transmission is also subject to several disadvantages,

however, including:

 Synchronicity can be difficult to determine, which can lead to timing

errors.
 Overall slower transmission rate.
 Extra data is required in the form of start and stop bits, increasing
the overall size of the transmitted data.
 False recognition of bits can occur due to noise on the channel.

Points of Comparison Between Synchronous and

Asynchronous Transmission

There are several key differences between synchronous

transmission and asynchronous transmission that it’s worth being
aware of.

Speed
One of the key aspects to consider around data transmission is the
speed at which information can be transferred. Synchronous
transmission is comparatively much faster than asynchronous
transmission.

One of the reasons for this is that the traffic load is much higher for
asynchronous transmission. For low-speed devices that transfer
small amounts of data, this is often not a problem. However, the
more data being transferred, the more this will hamper the
transmission speed, which can pose a problem when using high-
speed devices which need to transfer a lot of data.

Asynchronous transmission is also slowed down by the need to

transmit start and stop characters, a problem that synchronous
transmission does not face.

Cost

The cost of data bits in synchronous transmission is less than during

asynchronous transmission.

However, synchronous transmission is complicated, whereas

asynchronous transmission is more simple. This makes
asynchronous transmission the more cost-effective method of data
transmission overall.

Storage
Asynchronous transmission requires local buffer storage at the point
of transmission and at the point of reception. This is so that the
blocks can be constructed.
Synchronous transmission does not require storage at the terminal
end.

Form of Data
Synchronous transmission has data being sent in the form of blocks
or frames. Asynchronous transmission has data being sent in the
form of characters or bytes.

Transmission Method
During synchronous transmission, blocks of data are transmitted at
high speed. Asynchronous transmission, however, requires data to
be transmitted character by character.

Synchronous transmission is undertaken using a combination of

hardware and software, whereas asynchronous transmission is
implemented only by hardware.

How Does Synchronous Data Transmission Work?

Data blocks are used as transmission units during synchronous

transmission. A specific series of characters or bits are attached to
each data block’s start and end to mark where it starts and finishes.

A check sequence can also be attached to the data block for error
control. This will usually be a 16-bit or 32-bit CRC check code.
The time interval between data blocks is fixed during synchronous
transmission, so the time regulation must be strictly defined. A
separate clock signal can sometimes be used to maintain
synchronization between the transmitter and receiver.

The receiver would utilize this shared signal to sample incoming

signals in the middle of each bit-time. This process is triggered by
the rising and/or falling edge of a clock signal pulse.

In most cases, however, using a separate clock signal is not

especially practical. This Is because, unless the transmitter and
receiver are nearby, the bandwidth increases significantly, making
the transmission system much more difficult and expensive to
design and implement.

Embedded timing is often therefore used as an alternative method

of synchronizing the internal clocks. One example of this would be
Manchester encoding, a type of bi-phase encoding which works as
both a clocking mechanism and a way to encode data.

Source

How Does Asynchronous Data Transmission Work?

Asynchronous transmission uses individual characters as the
transmission unit. Each character has a start bit and a stop bit to
mark the beginning and end of the character. This is the method by
which data synchronization is achieved during asynchronous
transmission.

The time relationship between characters does not need to be

strictly limited during asynchronous transmission for the receiver to
interpret the data correctly, so the time interval is variable.

Once each piece of data has been read, the system waits for the
next one to arrive. If no data is being transmitted, the line remains
in an idle state. This is represented in the system by a constant
negative voltage.

When a start bit is detected, indicating the arrival of a new

character, the voltage transitions from negative to positive, which is
what alerts the system to the arrival of new information. This is
known as an edge transition.

Each block of data, or character, can contain up to eight data bits

and a single parity bit, framed by the start and stop bits. A parity bit
is used to provide limited error correction during asynchronous
transmission.
The receiver starts counting bit times from when an incoming start
bit is detected. Because the locks in both the transmitter and
receiver are ticking at the same nominal rate, the receiver knows
roughly when to sample each incoming bit.

Because incoming blocks contain no more than 11 bits, (including

the stop bit), the receiver can sample each bit close to the middle of
each bit time. Once the stop bit has been sent by the transmitter,
the idle signal resumes, so both systems are ready for the next
block to be transmitted.

Wrapping Up

Synchronous and asynchronous transmission are two widely used

methods for transferring data from one place to another. We are
likely to experience multiple instances of both methods in our day-
to-day lives, whether we realize it or not.

Both methods of data transmission feature advantages and

disadvantages. Synchronous transmission provides a fast method of
data transfer that requires no extra storage at the point that data is
received. However, it can be complicated and costly to set up and
run.

Asynchronous transmission is simple to implement and is an

incredibly flexible method of transmitting data, (flexibility is a key
concern in many aspects of computing, as demonstrated through
the integrations present in many applications.
It is, therefore, apparent that both synchronous and asynchronous
transmission are relevant methods of data transmission, with each
producing appealing results in relevant use cases.

Bit rate refers to the number of bits transmitted per second in a

communication system, while baud rate refers to the number of signal units
or symbols transmitted per second. In some cases, multiple bits can be
encoded in a single symbol, making the bit rate higher than the baud rate.

What is the Bit Rate?

Bit rate refers to the number of bits transmitted per second and is, therefore,
a measure of the rapidity at which data is being transmitted over a
communication channel. It is normally expressed in Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps. It
will, therefore, give the relative efficiency of computer processing or handling
data.
Bit Rate = Baud Rate × No. of Bits per Baud

What is the Baud Rate?

Baud Rate

Baud rate, then, is the measure of the number of changes to the

signal (per second) that propagate through a transmission medium.
The baud rate may be higher or lower than the bit rate, which is the
number of bits per second that the user can push through the
transmission system. Bits will be converted into baud for
transmission at the sender side and the reverse conversion will
happen at the receiver end so that the user receives the bit stream
that was sent. A few simple definitions before we move ahead:

 Bit rate – the number of binary ‘bits’, 1s or 0s to be transmitted

per second
  Baud rate – the number of line ‘symbols’ transmitted per
second
 Channels – the number of transmission channels

It is defined to be the number of signal changes or symbols sent per second

over a communication channel. This decides the extent to which a
transmission medium, such as a wire or a wireless spectrum, is capable of
changing its state in one second. Every such change can represent one or
more bits of data.
Baud Rate = Bit Rate / No. of Bits per Baud
The baud rate is important in appreciating the amount of bandwidth required
during any given transmission. A higher baud rate may signal a more
frequent change in a given signal and thus change the clarity and speed of
data transmission.

Difference Between Bit Rate and Baud Rate

Factor Bit Rate Baud Rate

The number of signal units per

Bit Rate is the number of bits sent
Definition second is known as the Baud
per second.
Rate.

Bit Rate is calculated by Baud Rate is calculated by

Calculation multiplying the baud rate by the multiplying the Bit Rate by the
number of bits per baud. number of bits per baud.

Bit Rate is not utilized to

Baud Rate is used to determine
determine the amount of
Utilized the amount of bandwidth
bandwidth required for signal
required for signal transmission.
transmission.

Bit Rate is sometimes defined as The number of changes in signal

Also defined as the number of bits that move per per second is also known as the
second. Baud Rate.

Computer efficiency was Baud Rate, on the other hand, is

Importance
prioritized above bit rate. focused on data transfer.

Bit rate cannot be used to Baud rate is used to determine

Bandwidth for
determine the requirements of the requirements of bandwidth
transmission
bandwidth for data transmission. for data transmission.
 Bit Rate Baud Rate

Bit rate is defined as the transmission Baud rate is defined as the number of
of a number of bits per second. signal units per second.

Bit rate is also defined as per second Baud rate is also defined as per second
travel number of bits. number of changes in signal.

Bit rate emphasized computer While the baud rate emphasized data
efficiency. transmission.

The formula of Bit Rate is:

The formula of Baud Rate is:
=Baud Rate × Number of Bits per
= Bit Rate / Number of Bits per Baud
Baud

Bit rate is not used to decide the While baud rate is used to decide the
requirement of bandwidth for requirement of bandwidth for
transmission of the signal. transmission of the signal.

Bit Rate cannot determine the Baud rate can determine the amount of
bandwidth. bandwidth necessary to send the signal.

It counts the number of bits traveled

It counts how many times the state of a
per second such as Kbps, Mbps,
signal is changing.
Gbps, etc

Bandwidth:

Network bandwidth is a measure of the data transfer rate or capacity of a

given network. It’s a crucial network measurement for understanding the
speed and quality of a network.

Network bandwidth is commonly measured in bits per second (bps). In

practice, organizations and internet service providers (ISPs) measure
bandwidth in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps).

Bandwidth in networking is the maximum possible data transfer rate of a

network or internet connection.
Throughput is the actual data transferred successfully in a network.
Measuring network bandwidth doesn’t consider whether a test data transfer
results in successful or unsuccessful data transmission. It simply calculates
the amount of data transferred in the network.