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I have a router and I have the chance to receive the WAN connection either from a Serial port (Smart Serial) or T1/E1. I have both cards for Serial and E1/T1 interfaces. I really don't know what are the pros/cons from one to another.

Can anyone help me?

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If you mean a serial port vs a T1 port on your router, I would recommend the T1 port. An "old-style" V.35 serial port requires an external CSU/DSU, which these days is just another piece of equipment to power, troubleshoot, etc. Do you have the exact model numbers of your interfaces?

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Serial will play nicer with a variety of devices, like Video Codecs (Tandberg, Polycom), Line Encryptors (KIV-7, KIV-7M, KIV-19M), and most setups that require RS-366 lines. T1/E1 will only play with T1/E1 lines...

Also serial is superior now that it can push 50Mbps or more on modern devices (Including Cisco)

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Hi, thanks for the reply. And from a Cisco perspective, what are the pros/cons beside the bandwidth? – Andre Jan 3 at 19:08
Is one technology superior to another? – Andre Jan 3 at 19:09
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Well, to be fair, most serial devices eventually convert to T1/E1, ISDN, etc. Serial communication will be superior in a lab environment, but in a real world environment, you use and work with what you have. – Tim Jan 3 at 19:20
So the simpler but not very accurate answer is T1/E1 will be easier to work with, but serial will give you more potential bandwidth and plenty of flexibility. – Tim Jan 3 at 19:21
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