Data Carrier Detect

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Data Carrier Detect (DCD) or Carrier Detect (CD) is a control signal present inside an RS-232 serial communications cable that goes between a computer and another device, such as a modem. This signal is a simple "high/low" status bit that is sent from a data communications equipment (DCE) to a data terminal equipment (DTE), i.e., from the modem or other peripheral to a computer in a typical scenario. It is present on virtually all PC serial ports - pin 1 of a nine-pin (DE9) serial port, or pin eight over a 25-pin (DB25) port. Its purpose varies depending on the device connected, but the most specific meaning is to indicate when a modem is connected to another remote modem via telephone lines.

The word "carrier" is a reference to the analog carrier signal generated by a modem, which is modulated to carry the data. On a data modem, the carrier's loss equates to the connection's termination.

Much like the Ring Indicator signal, on a PC's serial port, changes to the DCD signal state can generate a hardware interrupt that can be captured by the processor any time the DCD signal changes state, preventing the PC from needing to constantly poll the pin.