engineering

Remote data transmission

Remote data transmission is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Remote data transmission rather than just read about it. In short: Remote data transmission (RDT) was a term used in the 1980s, primarily in Germany, for the transmission of data between computers over a medium using a communications protocol. At the time, the most widespread form was RDT over the telephone network.

Key takeaways

Remote data transmission belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Remote data transmission to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Remote data transmission from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Remote data transmission (RDT) was a term used in the 1980s, primarily in Germany, for the transmission of data between computers over a medium using a communications protocol. At the time, the most widespread form was RDT over the telephone network. Other transmission media like radio waves or light were also used. Most RDT now uses the Internet. In German speaking areas, RDT is used in the special sense of the considerably more narrowly defined Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Systems for remote administration of facilities and remote control adjustments may use remote data transmission standards. To be transmittable, data must be appropriately prepared for the medium. For this, special hardware, e.g., a modem or an ISDN card is necessary.

History When remote data transmission began, data were exchanged by the use of diskettes, magnetic tape, punched tape and dispatched via courier (the so-called sneaker net). In the beginning, electronic remote data transmission was also accomplished through special adapters on special data or telex lines, teleprinter, serial ports, and analog telephone] or over simple radio connections. Acoustic couplers that could be attached to a normal telephone handset, and later modems, were used. RDT achieved great significance for private users at the end of the 1980s with the arrival of local and global bulletin board systems like FidoNet and CompuServe. Many of these systems later had internet access via computer gateways, but they were mostly discontinued by the end of the 1990s with the internet rise to dominance. Communication between PCs through the internet is also a form of remote data transmission.

Methods and transmission standards Wireless LAN RS-232 V.90 ISDN DSL with the variations ADSL, ADSL2+, SDSL and VDSL Ethernet Bluetooth GSM with the extensions HSCSD, GPRS and EDGE UMTS with the extension HSDPA IrDA

See also start bit stop bit parity bit baudrate flow control data rate Hayes command set electronic banking

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Remote data transmission

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Remote data transmission claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Remote data transmission before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Remote data transmission ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Remote data transmission

In research: Remote data transmission appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Remote data transmission in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Remote data transmission is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Broadcast engineering, Digital technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Remote data transmission outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Remote data transmission in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Remote data transmission means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Remote data transmission out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Remote data transmission in simple terms?

Why does Remote data transmission matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Remote data transmission?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Remote data transmission.