Electrical Engineering Glossary Definition for Serial Interface

Definition

A serial interface (as distinguished from a parallel interface) is one in which data is sent in a single stream of bits, usually on a single wire-plus-ground, wire-pair, or single wireless channel (or two sets, one for each direction). Examples include USB, RS-232, I²C, and 1-Wire.

By contrast, a parallel interface sends several bits at once, on separate wires.

Synonyms

• Serial

See Also

• Parallel Interface
• USB
• SPI
• 1-Wire
• UART
• RS-232
• I2C
• SPI
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