After updating the firmware on my OC200 TP-Link SD Network controller, an older TP-Link managed switch that had previously been adopted by that controller, could not be adopted. Tried the default admin/admin but no luck. TP-Link managed switches do not have the little reset button that you press with a paperclip thru the tiny hole on the back of the case. If you can't factory-reset the switch, it's a brick.
This handy cable, along with the suggested Tera Term 5 SSH client (I hear putty will work too but didn't try it), got me in and factory reset the switch in literally 30 seconds using an old Win10 laptop.
PCs and laptops haven't come with 9-pin serial ports for many years now. Most tech enthusiasts keep at least an old laptop with a serial port around for exactly this scenario. I got rid of mine years ago. So when this scenario happened, I was out of luck.
This cable is one of those "If you need it, you need it" type things. For how cheap it is, it's a good thing to keep around. It just worked, no drivers necessary.
