Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)

Definition - What does Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) mean?

Data Terminal Equipment is equipment which acts as source or destinations in digital communication and which is capable of converting information to signals and also reconverting received signals.

Pieces of data terminal equipment usually do not communicate between each other, which is usually done by data communications equipment. Common examples of data terminal equipment: printers, routers, application servers etc.

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Techopedia explains Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)

Features of Data Terminal Equipment:

With the help of link protocol, provides the data communication control function to the digital data communication.
It can be single piece equipment or multiple pieces interconnected to perform the required functions.
In most communications, data terminal equipment is the terminal.
One of the key differences between data terminal equipment and data communications equipment is in the manner the connectors are wired.
The universal asynchronous receiver transmitter in data terminal equipment performs error detection and clocking. Error detection helps in ensuring the data sent is free of corruption. Clocking helps in ensuring the data is sent at the right rate of receiving at the destination.
In most cases, data terminal equipment is a device which uses serial transmission to transmit data, which is done with help of the serial port in the device. It usually implements a male connector.
To connect a data terminal equipment to a communication link, data communication equipment needs to be used.