StarTech.com 2 Port PCI RS422/485 Serial Adapter Card with 161050 UART

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

If you just need a couple of extra RS422/RS485 ports inside a PC, this StarTech PCI card is the kind of “quiet utility” purchase that’s actually worth the money. At £16.25 ex‑VAT, you’re not buying a premium platform—you’re buying the ability to get an old industrial device, modem, PLC accessory, or serial console talking without hunting for drivers or paying silly day-rate labour to bodge a workaround. In day-to-day use, the value is in simplicity: it’s a straightforward way to add serial connectivity where USB adapters often get flaky with timing/line discipline or don’t behave like a true hardware UART.

That said, it’s not for everyone. First, it’s PCI, so it’s only realistic for older towers with a real PCI slot—if you’re on a modern business PC, you may end up fighting compatibility more than you solve problems. Second, “low cost” serial hardware can still be a headache if your environment is picky about software support or you’re trying to do high-reliability industrial comms with strict requirements. If you’re setting up something mission-critical, I’d sanity-check that the exact driver/OS combination you’re running is known to behave well. For tinkering, legacy integrations, and small scale installs that need two serial ports, though, it’s hard to argue with the price.