Serial & Parallel Transmission 

Serial transmission: data is sent one bit at a time along the same data line

Advantages

• Requires only two wires compared with 8 or 16 in parallel

• Serial can travel longer distances than parallel

• Simpler interface / circuit board / fewer lines required

Parallel transmission: all bits in a byte are sent simultaneously along separate lines

Advantages

•  Transmission is faster than serial transmission (Data is transmitted at a higher speed).

• Works well for short-distance communication.

• Set of bits are transferred simultaneously

Disadvantages

•  It is a more expensive system due to the need for extra wires

• In order to transmit the data over long ranges, the thickness of the wire has to be increased to diminish signal degradation

• There are multiple communication channels required

• Crosstalk can occur, especially when multiple data lines are used simultaneously