Plugable USB to Serial RS-232 Adapter (5ft) with COM Retention - Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux (DB9 DTE Male Connector, Prolific PL2303GT Chipset, Up to 1Mbps) - PL2303-DB9

If you are an IT professional looking for a USB-to-RS-232 Console adapter, look no further. The Prolific PL2302HX Chipset integrated into this adapter is the heart of what makes it work properly. I have tried numerous other USB adapters with different chipsets and the PL2303HX produced the most consistent and accurate serial data transfers. I ran tests using a legacy laptop running Windows XP and a standard DB9 serial port against a new Windows 7 x64 Laptop with the Plugable USB adapter and performed data captures and transfers with a Cisco router. I did encounter a few problems when performing large file transfers, but the same problems were also encountered using the legacy serial port. Unlike other USB adapters, I experienced no bit inversions, no lost connection, no console port lockups, and no baud-rate changes.The Drivers provided by Plugable are also great. Drivers are available for Windows XP x32, Windows 7 x32, and Windows 7 x64, as well as MAC OSX. I did not have a Mac available for testing, but the drivers and adapter worked perfectly under the 3 windows environments tested. You will most likely need to change your COM Port assignment each time you reboot Windows or change to a different USB port, as windows will Dynamically assign a COM Port on a first-available basis. However, I have noticed that once I disabled the non-existent serial port in the BIOS of my machine, my COM assignment stayed the same as long as I used the same USB port. If all of this is a bit too technical for you, the provided PDF user manual offers step by step instructions with accurate screen shots for Windows Vista/7 and 2000/XP. Mac instructions are also included, but I have not verified them.

I'm a network engineer and work with older Cisco equipment that often requires me to use a serial connection to do the initial configuration. I had to replace my old Dell laptop after it was stolen and the new one did not have a serial port. We have used this same USB to Serial adapter at work with nary a problem so I was psyched to find one for less than what the boss pays.One observation. The unit comes with a driver CD and instructions to install the drivers before connecting the adapter to the computer. That might be true with XP or Vista, but Windows 7 will download a WHCL driver automatically as long as you have an Internet connection when you first plug it in.I have not had any compatibility issues at all. I have used it to connect to several different external modems and numerous Cisco routers, switches, and access points and it just works.UPDATE: I plugged it into my Vista Pro desktop and the drivers installed automatically. Works perfectly there as well. Will test on a Sony Flip Win8 on Christmas and report findings on that as well.UPDATE, Part Deux: Works fine on Win 8.1 and Win10. On my wife's Win8.1 Sony it took a couple of minutes to load the driver. On my upgraded Win10 Dell 4600 workstation it only took a few seconds to load the drivers.

I first want to note that this adapter looks nothing like the one pictured. The aesthetics make no difference with regards to its performance, but I was honestly a little put off by this. I've somehow misplaced my old adapter and was hoping to get one identical to what I had before. The plastic clamshell housing unique among these cables and I was surprised to get one that looks more like an injection molding. It bares the same 'plugable' name, at least by a cheap stick-on tag.As for its function, it works great and it does take the Prolific driver, which is most important to me. My disappointment is really superficial, because this cable will do the job, but how hard is it to update your produce picture? There is absolutely no resemblance between the two cables.

Great! Works like a champ right out of the box on Linux (kernel 2.6.11 or higher), and Windows drivers are easily available and work great as well.Do you need to work with equipment via a Serial (COM) connection, but don't have a serial port on your laptop/PC? Then this is the adapter cable you need to convert Serial -> USB. This converter is driven by the industry standard Prolific 2303HX Rev. D chipset, and Prolific actually recommends this exact product on their website, so you can safely assume it's quality is above board.On Linux the drivers are included in the kernel from version 2.6.11 onward, so all you need to do is plug it in and it will be recognized. On Windows all you have to do is download the drivers from here: http://www.prolific.com.tw/US/ShowProduct.aspx?p_id=225&pcid=41I needed to connect to networking equipment such as rack-mounted switches and routers, and this converter cable from Plugable did exactly what I needed it to at a reasonable price. If you need one, look no further (and don't buy a cheap Chinese knock-off brand, you'll get a counterfeit chip and it will cause you nothing but headaches). This should also do the trick for proprietary equipment that only has a 9-pin DB9 RS-232 connection.