Interfacing with an existing network of serial devices may require several of the common protocols, typically with separate external connectors for each. However, with the electronics equipment industry continuously moving in the direction of cheaper, smaller, and quicker to market, designers are being pressed to reduce the number of bulky connectors and deliver a lower cost integrated solution in a shorter time. Since the RS-232 standard specifies the DB9 connector, it is often chosen, requiring RS-485 and RS-422 to co-exist alongside RS-232 in the same connector. This introduces a host of issues the standards developers did not conceive or plan for.