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Difference between Synchronous and Asynchronous Transmission

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Synchronous Transmission: In Synchronous Transmission, data is sent in form of blocks or frames. This transmission is the full-duplex type. Between sender and receiver, synchronization is compulsory. In Synchronous transmission, There is no time-gap present between data. It is more efficient and more reliable than asynchronous transmission to transfer a large amount of data. 

Example:

  • Chat Rooms
  • Telephonic Conversations
  • Video Conferencing 
     

Asynchronous Transmission: In Asynchronous Transmission, data is sent in form of byte or character. This transmission is the half-duplex type transmission. In this transmission start bits and stop bits are added with data. It does not require synchronization. 

Example:

  • Email
  • Forums
  • Letters
     

Now, let’s see the difference between Synchronous Transmission and Asynchronous Transmission:

S. No. Synchronous Transmission Asynchronous Transmission
1. In Synchronous transmission, data is sent in form of blocks or frames.   In Asynchronous transmission, data is sent in form of bytes or characters.
2. Synchronous transmission is fast.  Asynchronous transmission is slow.
3. Synchronous transmission is costly. Asynchronous transmission is economical.
4. In Synchronous transmission, the time interval of transmission is constant.  In Asynchronous transmission, the time interval of transmission is not constant, it is random.
5. In this transmission, users have to wait till the transmission is complete before getting a response back from the server.  Here, users do not have to wait for the completion of transmission in order to get a response from the server.
6. In Synchronous transmission, there is no gap present between data.  In Asynchronous transmission, there is a gap present between data.
7. Efficient use of transmission lines is done in synchronous transmission.  While in Asynchronous transmission, the transmission line remains empty during a gap in character transmission.
8. The start and stop bits are not used in transmitting data. The start and stop bits are used in transmitting data that imposes extra overhead.
9. Synchronous transmission needs precisely synchronized clocks for the information of new bytes.  Asynchronous transmission does not need synchronized clocks as parity bit is used in this transmission for information of new bytes.
10. Errors are detected and corrected in real time. Errors are detected and corrected when the data is received.
11. Low latency due to real-time communication. High latency due to processing time and waiting for data to become available.
12. Examples: Telephonic conversations, Video conferencing, Online gaming. Examples: Email, File transfer,Online forms.

Last Updated : 29 Jan, 2024
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