What are the differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers in terms of input lines?

A multiplexer and a demultiplexer are combinational circuits. A multiplexer takes n inputs, while a demultiplexer takes a single input. A multiplexer, in short, is sometimes referred to as MUX, and a demultiplexer is referred to as a DEMUX.

What is the use of a MUX and DEMUX in network transmission?

A MUX or multiplexer and a DEMUX or demultiplexer are widely used in networking devices. They are used on the transport layer of the OSI model for data transmission. MUX and DEMUX are used in time-division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, and wavelength division multiplexing.

What are the principles on which a multiplexer and a demultiplexer work?

The major differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers include their working principles. A multiplexer works on the many to one (M to 1) strategy, while a demultiplexer works on a one to many (1 to M) strategy.

What are the differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers in terms of the type of digital setup?

Amongst the various differences, the one based on the type of digital setup is that a multiplexer acts as a switch while a demultiplexer acts as a digital circuit. A Mux and a DEMUX can be considered to be complements of each other but never the inverse.

What is the difference between inverse multiplexing and demultiplexing?

The difference between inverse multiplexing and demultiplexing is that inverse multiplexing generates combined or collective streams of output, while in demultiplexing, unrelated output streams are generated. Inverse multiplexing is considered the opposite of the multiplexing process.

Differences Between Multiplexers and Demultiplexers

By Anjnee Bhatnagar|Updated : April 25th, 2022

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In this article, we will learn about the differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers. Both circuits belong to combinational circuits. Multiplexer takes n inputs and generates a single output. On the other hand, the demultiplexer takes a single input and generates n output lines. Apart from the differences in the number of inputs and outputs there exist various differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers which we will discuss later in the article.

Before discussing the differences between multiplexer and demultiplexer, we will understand the concept step by step, starting from the combinational circuits, the multiplexer device, the demultiplexer device, and their advantages and disadvantages.

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What is a Combinational Circuit?

A Combinational circuit is a collection of various gates that are used to generate an output for a particular task performed. It can take n inputs and generates m outputs. In digital electronics, there are mainly two types of circuits: Combinational circuits and Sequential circuits. In view of the topic differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers, we will only keep our focus on combinational circuits. Examples of combinational circuits are adders, subtractors, encoders, decoders, multiplexers and demultiplexers. Some of the features of the combinational circuits are as follows:

They do not use any memory element.
They can have any number of input lines and output lines.
They are fast in comparison to sequential circuits.

Multiplexer

A multiplexer is sometimes termed as a data selector. The name itself suggests that it takes multiple inputs from the source and generates a single desired output. Though there exist several differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers, both are the two sides of the same coin. In a multiplexer, there are 2ⁿ input lines out of which one is selected to be the output, where n is the number of select lines. A multiplexer is shown in the below figure:

Demultiplexer

A demultiplexer can be thought of as a complement of the multiplexer circuit. It takes just a single line of input and generates 2ⁿ output lines, which is the number of select lines. A demultiplexer can also be used as a decoder by changing the input and select lines. There are numerous differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers but the most basic one is that they function opposite to each other. A demultiplexer is shown in the below figure:

Differences between multiplexer and demultiplexer

The multiplexer and demultiplexer are widely used in network transmission techniques. Despite differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers, both are used in the transport layer of the OSI model for time-division multiplexing, wavelength division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, etc. We shall now discuss the differences between multiplexer and demultiplexer.

Multiplexer	Demultiplexer
Executes different inputs at the source and generates a single output at the destination.	Executes a single input from the source and generates different outputs at the destination.
It has n input lines.	It has a single input line.
It has a single output line.	It has n output lines.
It works on the principle of Many to One.	It works on the principle of One to Many.
Also known as a data selector.	Also known as data distributor.
It behaves as a digital switch.	It behaves as a digital circuit.

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FAQs

What are the differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers in terms of input lines?
A multiplexer and a demultiplexer are combinational circuits. A multiplexer takes n inputs, while a demultiplexer takes a single input. A multiplexer, in short, is sometimes referred to as MUX, and a demultiplexer is referred to as a DEMUX.
What is the use of a MUX and DEMUX in network transmission?
A MUX or multiplexer and a DEMUX or demultiplexer are widely used in networking devices. They are used on the transport layer of the OSI model for data transmission. MUX and DEMUX are used in time-division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, and wavelength division multiplexing.
What are the principles on which a multiplexer and a demultiplexer work?
The major differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers include their working principles. A multiplexer works on the many to one (M to 1) strategy, while a demultiplexer works on a one to many (1 to M) strategy.
What are the differences between multiplexers and demultiplexers in terms of the type of digital setup?
Amongst the various differences, the one based on the type of digital setup is that a multiplexer acts as a switch while a demultiplexer acts as a digital circuit. A Mux and a DEMUX can be considered to be complements of each other but never the inverse.
What is the difference between inverse multiplexing and demultiplexing?
The difference between inverse multiplexing and demultiplexing is that inverse multiplexing generates combined or collective streams of output, while in demultiplexing, unrelated output streams are generated. Inverse multiplexing is considered the opposite of the multiplexing process.