Data circuit-terminating equipment sits between the data terminal equipment and the network provider's circuit. It handles signal conversion, coding, and clocking to ensure data travels correctly over the transmission medium. A common example is a modem or a CSU/DSU unit in a wide area network link.
Heard on the job
Check the pinout on that serial cable because you need a crossover to connect two DTEs without a DCE in the middle.
Insider tip
When troubleshooting serial connections, always verify which device provides the clock signal; the DCE is typically responsible for clocking the link.
Also heard as
- data circuit-terminating equipment
- data communications equipment