USB Alternative
Serial Ports
RS-232 serial ports are a legacy communication interface still used for consoles, industrial equipment, and instrumentation.
Related: Parallel Ports · PS/2 · FireWire
Characteristics
| Primary purpose | Point-to-point serial communication |
|---|---|
| Common PC connector | DE-9 |
| Typical standard | RS-232 |
| Typical devices | Modems, terminals, network consoles, industrial controllers, and instrumentation |
| USB relationship | USB-to-serial adapters commonly bridge modern USB hosts to serial equipment |
| General-purpose peripheral bus | No |
| Current status | Legacy on consumer PCs but still used in industrial and technical equipment |
