Communication facilities have an ancient history, but we tend to think of the advent of the telegraph and later the telephone as the beginning of modern communications. Extensive telegraph and telephone networks were established all over the world, decades before the emergence of computers.

Data Communications Equipment(DCE)

Data communication equipment (DCE) is the hardware devices that can be used to establish, maintain and terminate communication between a data source and its destination. Data communications equipment is most used to perform signal exchange, coding and line clocking tasks as part of intermediate equipment or DTE._A typical example of data communication equipment is the modem.

Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)

Data terminal equipment (DTE) refers to the interface equipment which is source or destination in communication. The terminal equipment is capable of converting information to signals and also reconverting received signals. Data terminal equipment does communicate directly with each other. Communication between them is done by data communication equipment. Popular examples of data terminal equipment are:

  1. computers
  2. printers
  3. routers
  4. servers etc.

Data communication equipment and data terminal equipment are often confused with each other. In fact the confusion is more pronounce when data communication equipment are embedded in some data terminal equipment.

The truth is that when the two are separated they are interlinked. Also, data terminal equipment and data communication connectors are wired differently if a single straight cable is employed. Data communication equipment generates internal clock signals, while data terminal equipment works with externally provided signals.

Figure shows a typical arrangement of data communication and terminal equipment.