
Error correction helps maintain the integrity of your data. Different encoding methods allow for detection and correction of those problems. These methods offer different advantages and disadvantages over others.Ī: Any time you send data on a network, you can run into problems with that data. Over time, better and better encoding methods come about.

Some methods have better error correction. Some encoding methods are more efficient. Q: Why donât we just encode data in one way and stick to that?Ī: Different encoding methods have different advantages. Networking is all about sending messages, so encoding and decoding are crucial to networking. We encode and decode signals so that we have a way to carry data on the signal. Q: Why do we need to encode and decode signals?Ī: If we donât encode and decode signals, they come in as raw waveforms, i.e. All that crazy travel over cables is unnecessary and fraught with problems. Youâd be good for writing data to a hard drive, but you just donât cut it on a network, do you?ĭata should stay home. Economy and simplicity is the name of my game. I donât get caught up in all that high-falutinâ stuff. Without a clock, the sending device and the receiving device will get out of sync. The signal sits there at the same voltage level for a long time. What sort of crazy standard would allow for a bunch of bits in a row?Įthernet, for one. What happens when you have a whole bunch of bits in a row? Say youâre trying to send a whole bunch of zeroes?

I like to keep the encoding process simple. I make sure the data gets there, and I can spot errors. After all, I require only half the bandwidth you require.Ī little extra bandwidth is worth the price. I can do it that way or vice versa, depending on how Iâm implemented, but I always stick to the rules of that implementation. So you give a positive voltage a one and a negative voltage a zero? When I encode a signal, it starts at zero voltage, but it never gets to go back to zero voltage. I prefer NRZ, but some folks call me NRZ-L for Non-Return to Zero Level. Is there something I can call you for short?
