Hello All,
although most of our (industrial) clients still use to have computers with a "real" serial port, I observe a small but increasing number struggling with bad USB adapters and asking for other interfaces.
Therefore I'm reconsidering the best suited interface for device configuration and diagnosis.
Do you still use EIA-232? Customers complaining?
What do you consider a suitable "successor"?
- USB. Can be even cheaper than EIA-232, and AFAIK a HID doesn't require administrator rights for "installation". But we have to supply software to the user (cost, distribution) and there remain some traces on the host system.
- Ethernet, TCP/IP, HTTP, DHCP or Zeroconf? Every recent computer has Ethernet and a web browser, so the user needs no additinal components besides a patch cord. But if he wants to be connected to a(nother) network, there might arise problems. And the cost of Ethernet connectivity is higher than EIA-232 or USB.
More alternatives?
Oliver