StarTech.com 6ft (1.8m) 2-Port FTDI USB to Serial RS232 Adapter Cable with COM Retention, USB to RS232 Adapter - TAA

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

If you need a simple way to get RS-232 back without messing around with drivers and you only need a couple of ports, this StarTech USB-to-serial cable is a sensible, low-drama option. In the real world, the “COM retention” bit matters more than people think—Windows and estates with image-based deployments hate random COM port changes, so having more stable port numbering usually means less faff with older software, PLC/SCADA tooling, barcode scanners, or serial-controlled lab kit. At ~£49 ex-VAT for two ports, it also tends to undercut the cost of doing the same thing with bigger multi-port adapters once you factor in the time it saves.

That said, I wouldn’t buy this if you’re trying to solve “lots of serial devices” or “long, noisy industrial runs.” Two ports is the limit, and USB-to-serial solutions can be a bit sensitive in harsher environments (grounding, cable quality, and how reliable the host USB power/connection is). Also, if you need true high-throughput serial streaming or tight timing, you’ll want to sanity-check your device requirements—USB adapters are usually fine for control/monitoring, but they’re not a magic replacement for dedicated serial hardware. Overall: buy it if you’ve got a couple of RS-232 endpoints and want stable COM behaviour; skip it if you’re scaling up or operating in environments where industrial cabling/grounding is already a concern.