Synchronous

The transmission of data between a transmitting and receiving device occurs as a series of zeros and ones. For the data to be "read" correctly, the receiving device must begin reading at the proper point in the series. In synchronous communication, this coordination is accomplished by synchronizing the transmitting and receiving devices to a common clock signal.

Signal Processing: Synchronous literally means "at the same time," but in spectrum analysis, synchronous components are defined as spectral components that are integral multiples, or harmonics, of a fundamental frequency. They may in some cases exist as multiples of an integral fraction of the fundamental frequency, in which case they are called subharmonics.