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GlobalSpec
globalspec.com › learnmore › electrical_electronic_components › wires_cables › serial_cables
Serial Cables Selection Guide: Types, Features, Applications | GlobalSpec
The Engineering360 SpecSearch database ... these types of serial cables. RS232 cables support a typical transmission speed of 9600 bps at 15 m. They provide asynchronous communication capabilities with hardware flow control, software flow control, and parity checking. Most gears, instruments with digital control interfaces, and communication devices have an RS232 interface. RS422 cables support multipoint connections and provide ...
networking cable used for serial communication
Serial cable - Wikipedia
A serial cable or RS-232 cable is a cable used to transfer information between two devices using a serial communication protocol. The form of connectors depends on the particular serial port used. … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Serial_cable
Serial cable - Wikipedia
March 20, 2026 - A serial cable or RS-232 cable is a cable used to transfer information between two devices using a serial communication protocol. The form of connectors depends on the particular serial port used. A cable wired for connecting two DTEs directly is known as a null modem cable.
Discussions

Types of serial cable configuration - Industrial Networking - Industrial Automation, PLC Programming, scada & Pid Control System
A serial cable is a data transfer cable that sends data between two devices using the serial communication protocol. The serial port determines the type of connectors to be utilized. The term “null modem cable” refers to a connection that connects two DTEs directly. More on forumautomation.com
🌐 forumautomation.com
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0
April 28, 2022
Understanding serial communication
Understanding this is a good start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model Some standards refer to different "layers" of communications - sometimes it's electrical, sometimes it's data format, sometimes it's some combination that spans layers. A lot of words get used interchangeably - but then most of the time that's because it doesn't actually matter what you call it, everyone knows what you mean. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/embedded
35
31
January 25, 2023
ELI5: The difference between a Null Modem Cable and a Straight Through Serial Cable
A straight trough cable is connected as it is named - every pin on one side is connected to the same pin at the other end. The RS232 serial interface has separated lines for transmit (TX) and receive (RX) - a Nullmodem cable switches these two lines. Which allows the two connected devices to exchange data. If you use a straight trough cable to connect two devices both TX are connected together and both RX are connected - imagine talking to another person and instead of whispering in their ear, you whisper to their mouth and listen at their ear - this does not work. Handshake is a technology where the receiver can pause the sender - like you, when you write things down and ask the speaker to stop, cause you cannot write as fast as the speaker can speak. (This does not necessarily has something to do with a Nullmodem cable.) More on reddit.com
🌐 r/explainlikeimfive
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October 27, 2014
What cable is usually used on serial ports of cisco routers.
Serial isn’t used much anymore, as the highest bandwidth it’s supports is 45Mbps (DS3). “Frame Relay” was the protocol used by this, but it was historically replaced by ATM (155Mbps OC3), SONET (10Gbps OC-192), and now Ethernet (100Gbps currently). Traditionally these protocols were used because of distance limitations of Ethernet, but now that problem is solved. Most business will simply use an Ethernet connection to attach to the WAN as opposed to a legacy serial connection. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/ccna
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February 20, 2019
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Auvik
auvik.com › franklyit › blog › history-of-serial-cables
The Little Cable That Could: The Surprising History of the Serial Cable
April 30, 2024 - With that in mind, we’re focusing on the main standards that make up the types. The oldest and most popular of the “classic” serial cables first developed in the 1960s. An RS-232 serial cable supports transmission speeds of a whopping 9,600 bps out to a length of 15 meters, and are essentially point-to-point connections.
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O'Reilly
oreilly.com › library › view › pc-hardware-in › 059600513X › ch22s03s01.html
22.3.1. Common Serial Cable Types - PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition [Book]
July 24, 2003 - The term null-modem cable is often misused to mean any cross-over cable, but a null-modem cable is really just one variety of cross-over cable. PC serial ports are usually configured as DTE. Modems, mice, trackballs, digitizers, and scanners are usually DCE devices, and so connect to a PC with a straight-through cable.
Authors   Robert Bruce ThompsonBarbara Fritchman Thompson
Published   2003
Pages   874
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Forumautomation
forumautomation.com › industrial networking
Types of serial cable configuration - Industrial Networking - Industrial Automation, PLC Programming, scada & Pid Control System
April 28, 2022 - What is the serial cable? A serial cable is a data transfer cable that sends data between two devices using the serial communication protocol. The serial port determines the type of connectors to be utilized. The term “null modem cable” refers to a connection that connects two DTEs directly.
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Eaton
tripplite.eaton.com › products › rs-232-serial-to-usb-adapters
RS232 Cable and Connectors Explained - Tripp Lite - Eaton
A standard serial port transmits at 115 Kbps. This may be faster than the connected device can handle. Using flow control (RTS and CTS), the device can temporarily stop the flow of data from the computer so it can process the data in its buffer. RS232 cables can be simple parallel wires or twisted pair up to 15 m (50 ft.), and 1,200 m (4,000 ft.) for RS422 and RS485 applications.
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Firewall.cx
firewall.cx › networking › network-cabling › network-serial-cable.html
Serial Direct Cable Connection, DB9, DB25, COM Ports and Pinouts
This article covers the popular serial ports on workstations, servers and laptop computers. We cover serial data transfer, port pinouts, port speeds, serial interface types (DB9 & DB25), null modem cables and much more. The Serial Direct Connection is the one which utilizes the COM ports of your ...
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Serial_port
Serial port - Wikipedia
May 1, 2026 - Some miniaturized electronics, particularly graphing calculators and hand-held amateur and two-way radio equipment, have serial ports using a phone connector, usually the smaller 2.5 or 3.5 mm connectors and the most basic 3-wire interface—transmit, receive and ground. 8P8C connectors are also used in many devices. The EIA/TIA-561 standard defines a pinout using this connector, while the rollover cable (or Yost standard) is commonly used on Unix computers and network devices, such as equipment from Cisco Systems. Many models of Macintosh favor the related RS-422 standard, mostly using circular mini-DIN connectors.
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RS Components
nz.rs-online.com › web › content › discovery › ideas-and-advice › serial-cables-guide
A Comprehensive Guide to Serial Cables | RS
April 29, 2024 - Several key considerations should be taken into account when choosing serial cables: Different communication protocols, such as RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, and USB, require specific cable types and configurations.
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HANDSOME Cable
handsomecable.com › home › what type of cable is serial cable? find detailed serial cable types
What type of cable is serial cable? Find detailed serial cable types - HANDSOME CABLE
March 5, 2024 - Serial cables use different wiring standards, such as DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) and DCE (Data Communications Equipment) configurations. DTE devices, like computers, usually have a female connector, while DCE devices, like modems, typically ...
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AV Access
avaccess.com › blogs › guides › what-is-rs232
RS232 Serial Port: 7 Facts You Need to Know before Using
October 19, 2023 - There are several different types of RS232 cables available, including straight-through cables, null-modem cables, and crossover cables. Straight-through cables are the most common type of RS232 cable and are used to connect a DTE device to ...
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Virtual COM Port Driver
virtual-serial-port.org › virtual serial port driver › articles › what is serial port › rs232 pinout
All you have to learn about serial connector pinouts
October 3, 2024 - RS232 manages communication flowing between the DTE and DCE using serial pinouts of either the DB9 or DB25 variety. These D-sub connectors can terminate with an RS232 female pinout or DB25 or DB9 male connector pins. Each pin in a 9 or 25 serial connector pinout has its own distinct function. You can also learn RS485 pinout. ... In addition to defining electrical characteristics, RS232 specifies the signals used in serial cable pinouts and serial ports.
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Decisive Tactics
decisivetactics.com › support › view
Crossover or "Null Modem" vs. Straight Through Serial Cable - Decisive Tactics, Inc.
DTE normally refers to the serial port on a PC or terminal, while DCE refers to a modem or other type of communications device. Depending on the type of device on each end of the line, you either need a straight-through or a null-modem ("crossover") cable in order to communicate. A straight-through ...
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It Still Works
itstillworks.com › types-serial-cables-5860713.html
Types of Serial Cables | It Still Works
January 10, 2019 - The V.35 crossover interface is used to connect DTE-DTE and DCE-DCE nodes. It also provides enhanced data rate as high as 64 kbps, by providing 34-34 pin configurations at both transmitter and receiver ends. This particular medium is a mixture of RS-232 and RS-449 standards. Its successors in RS-232 and RS-449 standard domains include V.28 and V.11, respectively. Serial printer cables are used to establish connection between a computer and printer through a serial port.
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TALtech
taltech.com › support › serial_intro
RS232 and Serial Communications – TAL Technologies
Many PCs and compatible computers are equipped with two serial ports and one parallel port. Although these two types of ports are used for communicating with external devices, they work in different ways. A parallel port sends and receives data eight bits at a time over 8 separate wires. This allows data to be transferred very quickly; however, the cable required is more bulky because of the number of individual wires it must contain. Parallel ports are typically used to connect ...
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Computer Cable Store
computercablestore.com › home › info center › articles › network tools and adapters
RS-232 Serial Cables | Signals, Pinouts, and Applications | Computer Cable Store
The most popular of these is the DE-9, commonly (and incorrectly) referred to as DB9. Either or both of these connectors can be used for a serial cable. There are two general types of RS-232 serial cables: standard straight through cables (wired 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, etc.), and null modem cables.
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Total Phase
totalphase.com › blog › 2020 › 10 › differences-between-serial-parallel-communication
What are the Differences Between Serial and Parallel Communication?
February 20, 2026 - Serial cables are much more common to spot in everyday life. The USB cable is an example of a serial style cable. As you can see the connector head looks substantially different than the parallel cable simply because it is smaller and does not have visible pins.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Serial_communication
Serial communication - Wikipedia
March 13, 2026 - The cables that carry digital video are also mostly serial—such as coax cable plugged into a HD-SDI port, a webcam plugged into a USB port or FireWire port, Ethernet cable connecting an IP camera to a Power over Ethernet port, FPD-Link, digital telephone lines (ex. ISDN), etc. Other such cables and ports, transmitting data one bit at a time, include Serial ATA, Serial SCSI, Ethernet cable plugged into Ethernet ports, the Display Data Channel using previously reserved pins of the VGA connector or the DVI port or the HDMI port.
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Colorado
ibgwww.colorado.edu › ~lessem › psyc5112 › usail › peripherals › serial › rs232
Talking Serially: RS-232: Connectors and Cabling
These connectors provide the same necessary pins as a DB-25, but are smaller, more manageable connectors. Because they provide access to the same signals, devices that use different connectors are compatible as long as you use the right kind of converter cable. DIN-8 serial connectors are small, and almost circular.
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Cisco
cisco.com › support › product support › cisco interfaces and modules › cisco network modules › install and upgrade guides
Serial Network Modules - Cisco
For example, the network end of the EIA/TIA-232 serial cable is a DB-25 connector, the most widely used EIA/TIA-232 connector. All serial interface types except EIA/TIA-530 and EIA/TIA-530A are available in DTE or DCE format: DTE with a plug connector at the network end, and DCE with a receptacle at the network end.