StarTech.com 6.6ft (2m) USB to Serial Adapter Cable, COM Retention, Interchangeable Screws/Nuts, USB-A to DB9 RS232, FTDI IC, ESD Protection, Windows/macOS/Linux

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £29.88 ex-VAT, this is a sensible “get-it-running” USB–to–RS232 adapter if you’ve got the occasional legacy COM port need—ticketing kit, barcode scanners, some industrial controllers, that kind of world. The FTDI chipset and “COM retention” matter more than people think: you avoid the annoying situation where the adapter grabs a different COM number after a reboot and suddenly half your installs need reconfig. It’s also decent that it’s ESD-protected, because RS232 gear is often in environments where static is a real risk (warehouses, workshops, desks with questionable humidity).

That said, I wouldn’t buy it as a universal workhorse for high-volume or mission-critical serial deployments. USB–serial adapters can behave differently across driver versions, and if you’re rolling this into a fleet, you’ll want to test with the exact apps/OS images you run (especially if you care about consistent baud rates, flow control quirks, or weird cable/adapter chains). Also, it’s a short 2m lead—fine for most desktop-to-equipment setups, but if your serial devices are tucked away in racks or on the far side of a comms panel, you may end up wishing for more length.

**Buy it if:** you need reliable legacy serial access on Windows/macOS/Linux, and you want fewer COM-number surprises with solid FTDI-based compatibility. **Skip it if:** you’re deploying at scale and can’t validate drivers/configurations beforehand, or you expect it to replace a more robust serial interface solution in a mission-critical environment.