Difference Between Radio Control and Remote Control

Radio control and remote control are two technological concepts that most often than not cause confusion among many people. It is indeed true that most people believe that radio control and remote control are one and the same concept. The truth is these two technological concepts might feature some similarities but they are totally different from one another.

Definitions of radio control and remote control

Radio control is a very specific concept that refers to the act of control an object from a remote location through the use of radio waves. On the other hand, remote control is more or less a generalized concept which refers to the act of controlling an object from a remote location and mainly through the use of an attachment.

Attachment and lack of attachment

One of the most notable differences between radio control and remote control is the presence and absence of an attachment. Attachment in this context refers to any form of physical medium that is connected between the controlled device and the device that is used for controlling. In most cases, an ordinary copper wire is commonly used for attaching two devices for controlling purposes.

Radio control does not feature any form of physical attachment between the controlled device and the controlling device. This is due to the fact that radio control functions through the use of radio waves that connect both devices together. Just like any other type of waves, radio waves are invisible waves that cannot be seen with the naked eyes and as such, these waves do not constitute a physical media used for attaching the two devices. On the other hand, remote control does involve substantial use of physical medium that issued to attach both the controlled and controlling device together. The presence of an attaching component in remote control and the absence of the same in radio control is indeed one of the main differences between the two forms of technological device control methods.

Requirements for operations

Another major difference between radio control and remote control stems from the requirements that are needed to execute these two forms of device control. Radio control is regarded to be a more sophisticated form of control that involves the use of various devices for controlling the devices. In order for radio control to be executed, there must be a receiver, a transmitter, and a corresponding action mechanism such as a motor and a power source. The transmitter is used for sending out signals to the other device in the form of radio waves. On its part, the receiver is responsible for receiving the signals and initiating a corresponding action such as starting a motor to power up a car’s engine.

On the contrary, remote controlling does not entail such a complicated process that combines several components together. This is because; remote controlling basically relies on the physical connection between the two devices. The physical connector which is typically a wire therefore serves the function of the transmitter whereby signals are transmitted through the wire. The controlled device in turn features some form of receiver mechanism that will initiate the functioning of the device.

Radio control purposes

Radio control is mainly used for controlling many devices including RC cars, RC trucks, and RC helicopters. In controlling these devices, the radio signal is transmitted to the receiver of the car, truck or helicopter. Once the device or object in question is able to receive the signal, it initiates a corresponding action that directly conforms to the signal instructions.