Bit rate
the speed at which data is transmitted serially, measured in bits per second
Baud rate
the rate at which the signal changes
Baseband
only two voltage levels are most commonly used, one to represent zero, and the other to represent one
Bandwidth
the range of frequencies that a transmission medium can carry
Latency
the time delay between the moment transmission of the first byte/packet of a communication starts and when it is received
Parity
a system of error-checking in which an extra bit is added to a byte of data before transmission to check if an error is likely to have occurred
Even parity
the total number of ‘1 bits in every byte, including the parity bit itself, must be an even number
Odd parity
the total number of ‘1 bits in every byte, including the parity bit itself, must be an odd number
Protocol
a set of rules relating to communication between devices
Advantages of serial over parallel transmission
Lower associated costs (smaller and less complex connectors)
Less likely to be affected by crosstalk
Much more reliable over greater distances
Lack of interference at higher frequencies (higher frequency → higher net data transfer rate)
Where is parallel communication used?
Integrated circuits
Within RAM
What is the main advantage associated with asynchronous transmission?
There doesn’t need to be a way of sharing the clock signal
What is the requirement for pieces of equipment to be linked together?
They must be using the same protocol