Abstract: A data terminal suitable for home use and having the ability to communicate in both bit synchronous and character asynchronous formats is provided. When a user places a call to a database, the terminal automatically detects whether the database is operating in the bit synchronous or character asynchronous format by examining the received signal for a specific character stream. In response to the presence or absence of this character stream, the terminal automatically configures its receiver and transmitter to communicate in the desired format. This frees the user from the task of modifying a synchronous/asynchronous setup parameter each time a different database is accessed.