Pronounced u-art, and short for universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter, the UART is a computer component that handles asynchronousserial communication. Every computer contains a UART to manage the serial ports, and some internal modems have their own UART.
As modems have become increasingly fast, the UART has come under greater scrutiny as the cause of transmission bottlenecks. If you are purchasing a fast external modem, make sure that the computer's UART can handle the modem's maximum transmission rate. The newer 16550 UART contains a 16-bytebuffer, enabling it to support higher transmission rates than the older 8250 UART.
16550 UART information Contains introductory information for the 16550 UART, along with information on buffers and transfer rates. Lastly, this page contains a link to 16550 UART technical specifications.
