Types of transmission modes Communication between two devices can be simplex, half-duplex, or full-duplex.

Types of Transmission Modes


  1. Simplex
  2. Half-Duplex
  3. Full-Duplex

1. Simplex


In simplex mode, the communication is unidirectional, as on a one-way street. Only one of the two devices on a link can transmit; the other can only receive. Keyboards and traditional monitors are examples of simplex devices.

The keyboard can only introduce input; the monitor can only accept output. The simplex mode can use the entire capacity of the channel to send data in one direction.

Examples are Radio and Television broadcasts. They go from the TV station to your home television._x000D_

2. Half-Duplex


In half-duplex mode, each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the same time. When one device is sending, the other can only receive, and vice versa. The half-duplex mode is like a one-lane road with traffic allowed in both directions.

When cars are traveling in one direction, cars going the other way must wait. In a half-duplex transmission, the entire capacity of a channel is taken over by whichever of the two devices is transmitting at the time.

3. Full Duplex


In full-duplex mode, both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously. The full-duplex mode is like a two way street with traffic flowing in both directions at the same time. One common example of full-duplex communication is the telephone network.

When two people are communicating by a telephone line, both can talk and listen at the same time.