USRobotics x2/56K, 33600 user manual Bits, Bps, Buffer, Carrier, Cps

Bit

A 0 or a 1 reflecting the use of a binary numbering system (a system that consists of 2 values). This system is used because the computer only recognizes two states, off or on.

(Start/Stop bits) Signaling bits attached to a character before it is transmitted; used for asynchronous transmissions.

Bits

(Start/Stop bits) Signaling bits attached to a character before it is transmitted; used for asynchronous transmissions.

Bps

The rate in bits per second. Thousands of bits per second are expressed as kilobits.

Buffer

An area of memory used as temporary storage during input/output operations. The modem has, for example, a command buffer.

Carrier

Continuous frequency that can be modulated or act as a support to another data carrier signal. Carrier waves are generated and maintained by modems via the telephone companies' transmission lines.

Cps

Data transfer rate (Characters per second). It is generally estimated from the binary rate and the length of characters. For example, at 2400 bits/s, 8-bit characters with a start and stop bit (for a total of 10 bits per character) are transmitted at an approximate rate of 240 characters per second (cps). Some protocols, such as the error correction protocols in the modem use advanced techniques requiring longer transmission frames and data compression to increase the number of characters per second.

62 Sportster Winmodem 33600 & x2/56K - User's manual