Modem vs. Codec — What's the Difference?

A modulator-demodulator, or simply a modem, is a hardware device that converts data from a digital format, intended for communication directly between devices with specialized wiring, into one suitable for a transmission medium such as telephone lines or radio. A modem modulates one or more carrier wave signals to encode digital information for transmission, and demodulates signals to decode the transmitted information.

A codec is a device or computer program which encodes or decodes a data stream or signal. Codec is a portmanteau of coder/decoder.In electronic communications, an endec is a device which acts as both an encoder and a decoder on a signal or data stream, and hence is a type of codec.

A device that transmits and receives data using a modulated carrier wave. Modems are used to establish network and internet connections.

(computing) A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal.

A device that encodes digital computer signals into analog/analogue telephone signals and vice versa and allows computers to communicate over a phone line.

To transmit by modem.

An electronic device that converts electronic signals into sound waves, and sound waves into electronic signals, used to transmit information between computers by the use of ordinary telephone lines; also called modulator-demodulator; as, the latest modems can transmit data at 56,000 baud over a clear telephone line. The speed of transmission of information by a modem is usually measured in units of baud, equivalent to bits per second.

(from a combination of MOdulate and DEModulate) electronic equipment consisting of a device used to connect computers by a telephone line