A USB to serial adapter, also referred to as a USB serial converter or RS232 adapter is a small electronic device which can convert a USB signal to serial RS232 data signals. RS232 is the type of signal which is in many older PCs and is referred to as a serial COM port.
Does USB use RS232?
Commonly, USB adapters are used to convert USB data to standard serial port data and vice versa. Most commonly the USB data signals are converted to either RS232, RS485, RS422, or TTL-level UART serial data. The older serial RS423 protocol is rarely used any more, so USB to RS423 adapters are less common.
What is a USB to serial port adapter?
The U209-000-R USB-to-Serial Adapter Cable allows you to connect a 9-pin RS-232 serial device to a computer or laptop with a USB Type-A port. It works with modems, digital cameras, PDAs, ISDN terminals and other devices with a serial port.
How can I tell what COM port my USB is using?
You can check what device is using what COM port from the Device Manager. It will be listed under the hidden devices. From the Device Manager, select View - Show Hidden Devices. Now when you expand the (PORTS) COM ports section you will see all of the COM ports listed there.
What is the difference between RS232 and USB?
RS232 is a definition for serial communication on a 1:1 base. ... RS232 ports can be either accessed directly by an application, or via a device driver in the operating system. USB on the other hand is a bus system which allows more than one peripheral to be connected to a host computer via one USB port.