Basic Components
Source: The transmitter of data. Examples are:
Terminals
Computers
Mainframes
Medium: The communications stream through which the data is being transmitted. Examples are:
Cabling
Microwave
Fiber optics
Radio Frequencies (RF)
Infrared Wireless
Receiver: The receiver of the data transmitted. Examples are:
Printers
Terminals
Mainframes
Computers
DCE: The interface between the Source & the Medium, and the Medium & the Receiver is called the DCE (Data Communication Equipment) and is a physical piece of equipment.
DTE: Data Terminal Equipment is the telecommunications name given to the source and receiver's equipment.
An example of this would be your PC dialing into a BBS (Bulletin Board System):
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