Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are disclosed for communicating with error checking to a device capable of operating according to an address prefix serial bus protocol that includes identifying whether the device supports error checking, and if the device supports error checking: setting the device in an error checking mode and sending a message with error checking data to the device. Communicating with error checking to a device capable of operating according to an address prefix serial bus protocol may include performing an error checking operation on the message to obtain error checking data. Communicating with error checking to a device capable of operating according to an address prefix serial bus protocol may include retrieving the device's error checking capability from a device table.