²⁴“Asynchronous” refers to the transmitting and receiving devices not having to be in perfect synchronization in order for data transfer to occur. Every industrial data communications standard I have ever seen is asynchronous rather than synchronous. In synchronous serial networks, a common “clock” signal maintains transmitting and receiving devices in a constant state of synchronization, so that data packets do not have to be preceded by “start” bits or followed by “stop” bits. Synchronous data communication networks are therefore more efficient (not having to include “extra” bits in the data stream) but also more complex. Most long-distance, heavy traffic digital networks (such as the “backbone” networks used for the Internet) are synchronous for this reason.