A method and apparatus for establishing a communication means for an interfacing device that utilizes a communication means hierarchy to decipher a communication means to be used by other hardware devices so that they may operative cooperatively. Particularly, a controlling device queries an interfacing device for the manufacturer of the interfacing device. If the manufacturer is determinable, then the controlling device queries the interfacing device for the model of the interfacing device. This querying for the model utilizes the identity of the manufacturer by using communication means that are particular to the manufacturer to query the interfacing device. Based on the information queried from the interfacing device, the controlling device is able to decipher the best known communication means for the interfacing device.