What is a “transceiver”?
A transceiver allows a station to transmit and receive to/from the common medium. In addition, Ethernet transceivers detect collisions on the medium and provide electrical isolation between stations. 10Base2 and 10Base5 transceivers attach directly to the common bus media, though the former usually use an internal transceiver built-onto the controller circuitry with a “T” connector to access the cable, while the latter use a separate, external transceiver and an AUI (or transceiver) cable to connect to the controller. 10BaseF, 10BaseT and FOIRL also usually use internal transceivers. Having said that, there also external transceivers for 10Base2, 10BaseF, 10BaseT and FOIRL that can connect externally to the controllers AUI port, either directly or via an AUI cable.
A transceiver or transmitter/receiver is a device which combines transmission and reception capability on shared circuitry. There are a number of different types of transceivers designed for an assortment of uses, and the transceiver is the cornerstone of wireless communication. One common example of a transceiver is a cellular phone, which is capable of sending and receiving data, unlike a basic radio, which can only receive signals. Transceivers can be divided into two rough categories: full and half duplex. In a full duplex transceiver, the device can transmit and receive at the same time. Cell phones are, again, an excellent example of a full duplex transceiver, as both parties can talk at once. By contrast, a half duplex transceiver silences one party while the other transmits. Many radio systems operate on a half duplex method, which is why people signal when they are going “out,” alerting the other user to the fact that the frequency is open for transmission. Some transceivers a
