17× Faster Than Standard Serial Cards: Most budget serial cards max out at 921.6 Kbps (kilobits per second). This professional-grade card supports up to 16 Mbps (megabits per second) — a massive performance difference when you need it.

Real-World Speed Benefits:

• Modern Industrial Protocols: Contemporary PLCs and automation equipment can communicate far faster than legacy 9600 or 115,200 baud rates. Profibus, Modbus RTU, and proprietary industrial protocols benefit from higher speeds, reducing cycle times and improving system responsiveness.
• High-Speed Data Acquisition: Multi-channel sensor arrays, data loggers, and test equipment can generate large volumes of data. Higher serial speeds mean faster downloads, reduced waiting time, and the ability to capture data at higher sample rates without buffering issues.
• Multi-drop RS-485 Networks: When running RS-485 multi-drop networks (up to 32 devices on one bus), higher speeds improve overall network throughput. Instead of waiting for slow 9600 baud polling cycles, you can poll hundreds of devices per second at 1-2 Mbps rates.
• Firmware and Configuration Updates: Uploading firmware to industrial equipment, updating PLC programs, or downloading large configuration files happens dramatically faster. What takes 10 minutes at 115.2 Kbps takes under 1 minute at 2 Mbps.
• Future-Proofing: Even if your current equipment operates at standard speeds, you won’t be limited by the card’s capabilities when you upgrade equipment or add new devices that support higher-speed serial communications.
• Reduced System Load: At higher speeds with deep FIFO buffers, the serial ports require less frequent CPU intervention, reducing interrupt overhead and freeing up processing power for other tasks — critical in real-time systems.

Professional Note: Most users won’t run at 16 Mbps regularly — standard industrial protocols typically operate between 9.6 Kbps and 1 Mbps. However, having the headroom means you’ll never be bottlenecked by the card, and the superior WCH382 chipset provides better reliability even at standard speeds compared to budget cards with inferior chipsets.

Q: Will this card work in a PCIe x16 slot (normally used for graphics cards)?

A: Yes, absolutely! PCIe is electrically and physically backwards compatible. A PCIe x1 card (like this one) will work perfectly in x1, x4, x8, or x16 slots. The card only uses x1 bandwidth (which is more than sufficient for serial communications), so installing it in a larger slot wastes no performance. This is very common in servers and workstations where x16 slots are plentiful but x1 slots are scarce.

Q: Do I need to install drivers? How difficult is the installation?

A: Yes, drivers are required for proper operation. Installation is straightforward:

1. Power off your PC and install the card in any available PCIe slot
2. Boot up — Windows may auto-detect and install generic serial drivers
3. For optimal performance, install the WCH382 drivers from the included CD (or download from manufacturer)
4. The two serial ports will appear in Device Manager as COM ports (e.g., COM3, COM4)

The whole process typically takes 10-15 minutes including driver installation. Linux users: the card uses standard serial port kernel modules that are built into most distributions.

Q: What COM port numbers will the card use?

A: The operating system assigns available COM port numbers when the card is first installed (typically COM3, COM4, COM5, etc. on Windows). The assignments are persistent — once assigned, the same physical port will always have the same COM number, even across reboots. This is a major advantage over USB serial adapters which can change COM ports if you plug them into different USB ports. You can manually reassign COM port numbers in Windows Device Manager if you need specific port numbers for legacy software compatibility.

Q: Can I use this for RS-485 or RS-422 instead of RS-232?

A: The WCH382 chipset is electrically capable of RS-485 and RS-422 communication modes. However, this specific card is configured with DB9 RS-232 connectors and level shifters. To use RS-485/RS-422, you would need external level converters or breakout adapters (DB9-to-screw-terminal adapters with 485/422 transceivers). For dedicated RS-485/RS-422 applications, consider a card specifically designed for those standards. For 99% of users, the standard RS-232 configuration is what’s needed.

Q: How is this different from USB to serial adapters?

A: PCIe serial cards have several advantages over USB adapters for professional/permanent installations:

• Stable COM Port Numbers: Never change, unlike USB adapters which can enumerate differently if plugged into different ports
• Lower Latency: Direct PCIe connection eliminates USB protocol overhead (critical for industrial automation)
• No USB Ports Consumed: Leaves USB ports available for other peripherals
• Better for Critical Applications: Won’t disconnect if USB cable is accidentally bumped, more reliable for 24/7 systems
• Professional Appearance: Clean installation vs cables hanging out of the PC

USB adapters have their place (portability, laptops, temporary connections), but for servers, industrial PCs, and permanent installations, PCIe cards are the professional choice.

Q: Will this work in my Dell OptiPlex/HP EliteDesk/Lenovo ThinkCentre small form factor PC?

A: Yes! The card includes a low profile bracket specifically for SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs. Before installation, remove the standard-height bracket and replace it with the included low profile bracket. Works perfectly in Dell OptiPlex 3000/5000/7000 series SFF, HP EliteDesk 800 G-series SFF, Lenovo ThinkCentre M-series SFF, and any other compact desktop with a low-profile PCIe slot. Note: Some ultra-compact “micro” or “tiny” PCs (like OptiPlex Micro) don’t have any PCIe expansion slots at all — for those, use a USB serial adapter instead.

Q: Are the DB9 connectors male or female?

A: The connectors are DB9 Male (pins visible, sticking out). This is the industry-standard configuration for serial port add-in cards. Most serial devices (PLCs, modems, printers, instruments, scales) have female DB9 ports and connect using standard straight-through male-to-female serial cables. If your device has a male DB9 port, you’ll need a gender changer (DB9 female-to-female coupler) or a male-to-male cable.

Q: Can I install multiple serial cards in the same PC?

A: Yes! You can install multiple IO Crest serial cards in the same system to add more serial ports. Each card will enumerate with its own COM port numbers. For example, card 1 might use COM3/COM4, card 2 would use COM5/COM6, etc. This is common in industrial PCs and servers that need to communicate with many serial devices simultaneously. Just ensure you have enough available PCIe slots.

Q: Does this work with Windows 11 and the latest Linux distributions?

A: Yes! The WCH382 chipset has excellent modern OS support:

• Windows 11: Fully supported with WCH drivers from the included CD or manufacturer download
• Modern Linux: Built-in kernel support in all recent distributions (Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora, Debian, CentOS, etc.). The card is recognised as /dev/ttyS* devices
• Windows Server 2019/2022: Full support for server applications
• macOS: Supported on Mac OS X 10.4 and above (including recent macOS Ventura/Sonoma with appropriate drivers)