Modern Windows versions require signed drivers. If you see this error after 2021, you may need to temporarily disable driver signature enforcement or download a newer version from Silicon Labs directly (driver version 6.0 or higher is recommended).
Solution: Visit silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers and download the official CP210x Universal Windows Driver, which includes the Cisco VID/PID.
Do not trust third-party driver sites. Always download from Cisco’s official software portal (requires a valid CCO login).
Tip: The file is typically small—less than 5 MB. asr9xxusbconsoledriverszip
As of 2025, many new ASR 9000 line cards and route processors (like the RP3) are moving to USB-C console ports. While the underlying chipset may change, Cisco has confirmed that future driver packages will continue the asr9xxusbconsoledriverszip naming tradition. However, newer versions may include CDC NCM (Ethernet over USB) drivers for out-of-band management beyond serial.
For now, the humble USB-to-serial driver remains a critical bridge between your laptop and the most powerful routers on the planet.
While this article focuses on the USB console driver, it is worth noting that most ASR 9000 routers still include a standard RJ45 console port. If you have an RJ45-to-DB9 rollover cable and a USB-to-serial adapter (e.g., from Startech or Tripp Lite), you may bypass the USB driver requirement entirely. However, the RJ45 port is often disabled by default in newer IOS XR versions, requiring a configuration change via the USB console first. Modern Windows versions require signed drivers
Thus, having asr9xxusbconsoledriverszip installed is still a prerequisite for initial configuration.
Never download drivers from third-party file sharing sites. Instead:
Do not attempt to install from within the ZIP file. Right-click the file and select Extract All to a folder on your desktop, e.g., C:\Cisco_Drivers. Tip: The file is typically small—less than 5 MB
Open PuTTY, SecureCRT, or the Windows Terminal. Use the following settings:
Press Enter. You should now see the ASR 9000 boot prompt or the XR configuration prompt.
The string asr9xxusbconsoledriverszip is not just random text—it follows Cisco’s internal naming convention:
In essence, this ZIP file holds the USB-to-serial driver software that allows your computer to recognize the router’s USB console port as a virtual COM port (on Windows) or a TTY device (on Linux/macOS).