Concentrator

In telecommunication, the term concentrator has the following meanings:

1. In data transmission, a functional unit that permits a common path to handle more data sources than there are channels currently available within the path. A concentrator usually provides communication capability between many low-speed, usually asynchronous channels and one or more high-speed, usually synchronous channels. Usually different speeds, codes, and protocols can be accommodated on the low-speed side. The low-speed channels usually operate in contention and require buffering.
2. A device that connects a number of circuits, which are not all used at once, to a smaller group of circuits for economy.

ISP usually use concentrators to enable modem dialin, this kind of concentrator' is sometimes called a modem concentrator or a Federal Standard 1037C and from MIL-STD-188

See also:

• Remote concentrator