A data acquisition system having selective communication capability to enable the data acquisition system to communicate with other data acquisition systems. The probe of the present invention initiates communication with a data acquisition unit located in an appliance. The data acquisition unit maintains a collection record which indicates the current setup and counts of the appliance. When the probe communicates with the data unit, it identifies itself and based upon this identification, the data unit responds with a particular collection record which is compatible with the probe communicating with the data unit. In addition, if the probe is used to setup a data unit, the probe decides what type of setup record to send based upon the collection record received from the data unit.