Components of Data Communication System
What is data communication?
Data communication is the exchange of data between two devices through a transmission medium.
For data communication, communicating devices should be included in the system. It is made up of a combination of hardware or software devices and programs.
An example of data communication can be sending an e-mail.
What are the components of data communication?
Main components of a data communication system are:
- Sender
- Receiver
- Message
- Transmission medium
- Protocol
Sender
The sender refers to the source of the data message. It can be of any form, a computer, mobile, telephone, or laptop, and is used to send the data message.
Receiver
The receiver is the same as the sender, except that it receives the message.
Message
The message is the data or the piece of information that is exchanged between the sender and the receiver.
It could be a text, audio, or video file.
Transmission medium
The transmission medium acts as the bridge between the sender and the receiver. It can be guided, that is with wires or not guided, that is without wires. Examples of transmission mediums are twisted pair cables, microwaves, radio waves, etc.
Protocol
A Protocol is a set of rules that are designed that govern data communications. It represents a kind of agreement between communicating devices. If there are two devices connected but there is no protocol between them, then there wouldn’t be any communication either.