Applies to: Docklight (all versions), Article ID: dl_faq025
Docklight works very well will a large range of USB, PCI or PCMCIA accessories for serial communication, but it is very difficult to specify the individual performance and accuracy. It is influenced by many details of your hardware and software configuration, and especially USB devices introduce unspecified delays and latency times.
Our recommendation is our “Docklight Tap” RS232 data tap for USB. It is especially designed for low latency and high monitoring accuracy, and Docklight has built-in support for fast and direct access to the monitoring data. This allows full duplex RS232 monitoring applications with much higher precision compared to standard USB-to-Serial accessories.
A technical alternative with similar accuracy would be a PC with On-Board COM ports or a PCI serial port card, plus our “Docklight Monitoring Cable”. Recommended products are MOXA PCI / PCI Express Serial Boards, industrial-grade multiport serial cards that offer excellent performance and driver support.
Docklight Application Note: Low Latency Monitoring with Docklight Tap