{"id":561961,"date":"2023-03-10T16:00:51","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/"},"modified":"2023-03-10T16:00:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T13:00:51","slug":"why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Do Some Modern Computers Still Have Serial Ports?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35bd8e8b9f0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35bd8e8b9f0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/#%E2%80%9CWhy_Do_Some_Modern_Computers_Still_Have_Serial_Ports%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Why Do Some Modern Computers Still Have Serial Ports?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/#What_Is_a_Serial_Port\" >What Is a Serial Port?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/#Why_We_Still_Use_Them\" >Why We Still Use Them<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/#Motherboards_With_Serial_Ports\" >Motherboards With Serial Ports<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-some-modern-computers-still-have-serial-ports\/#USB_to_Serial_Adapters\" >USB to Serial Adapters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhy_Do_Some_Modern_Computers_Still_Have_Serial_Ports%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Why Do Some Modern Computers Still Have Serial Ports?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-875788\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Serial-port-on-laptop-1.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Closeup of a serial port on a laptop.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Corbin Davenport \/ How-To Geek<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Serial ports might be slow and not much use to most computer users these days, but thanks to their simplicity and reliability these ports may be with us for a long time yet.<\/p>\n<p>While the parallel port is now safely buried in the grave of obsolescence, it may seem odd that the humble, slow serial port is still around. But as it turns out, bit-by-bit, this humble communications port has become essential.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_Serial_Port\"><\/span>What Is a Serial Port?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not to get bogged down in semantics, but the \u201cS\u201d in USB stands for \u201cSerial\u201d, so technically a USB ports is a serial port. However, what we\u2019re referring to here specifically is the 25-pin or 9-pin port that have been on PCs for many decades. Modern serial ports tend to be the 9-pin version, and the port\u2019s shape and size is very similar to that of the (nearly obsolete) VGA port.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of how many pins a serial port has, it still transmits data one bit at a time in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>. Hence the name \u201cserial port.\u201d The various pins on a serial port may have different functions, such as sending control signals or monitoring data from your connected device.<\/p>\n<p>Serial ports are\u00a0<em>slow<\/em> with the standard speed at the high end of the range coming in at a pedestrian 115.2Kbps. At that speed, it would take you almost a day to transfer 1GB of data! That\u2019s under ideal circumstances, and things can be much, much slower than that.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_We_Still_Use_Them\"><\/span>Why We Still Use Them<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If we have USB, and serial ports are so slow and comparatively bulky, why the heck do some computers still have them? There are a few reasons, but the most important ones include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lots, and lots, of industrial and scientific equipment are still in service and use serial ports to interface.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s simple, reliable, well understood, and much cheaper to implement than other more modern port types.<\/li>\n<li>Hobbyists have uses, such as programming microcontrollers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Serial ports can be easier to error-correct and many of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications they are used for don\u2019t need anywhere near the maximum standard bit-rate the port offers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Why Do We Still Use Analog Audio Ports?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re talking about simple binary control signals or plain text characters. Since the higher speeds of more complex interfaces would be wasted on these use cases, the reliability and simplicity of the serial ports become a much more valuable feature.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Motherboards_With_Serial_Ports\"><\/span>Motherboards With Serial Ports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While serial ports are still very much in use these days, mainstream computer users rarely, if ever, have a use for them. So you may in fact have a hard time finding any modern motherboards at all that include a 9-pin serial port as part of the I\/O (Input\/Output) ports on the back of the motherboard.<\/p>\n<p>However, that doesn\u2019t mean the motherboard doesn\u2019t have a serial interface! Just like you probably have \u201cheaders\u201d on the board to connect your PC case\u2019s USB and audio ports to the motherboard, there\u2019s a good chance there\u2019s a serial port header on your motherboard. You\u2019ll have to consult the motherboard\u2019s manual to make sure this is the case, but if so you can simply buy an inexpensive header plate with a serial port and install it. It should be less than ten bucks!<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box  \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41UuOyvhQ2L._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" width=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"USB_to_Serial_Adapters\"><\/span>USB to Serial Adapters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re using a laptop, don\u2019t have a motherboard with the right headers, or don\u2019t want to mess around inside your computer, another great solution is to use a USB-to-Serial Adapter. Just as the name implies, this converts USB signals to RS 232C serial port signals.<\/p>\n<p>This will let you connect to any peripheral that uses a serial port, and allow you to interface with devices that accept serial port signals, using the right software of course!<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box  \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41F19n3yVbL._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" width=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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While the parallel port is now safely buried&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":561962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Serial-port-on-laptop-1.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}