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Virtual Serial Port Over Wifi: A Guide to Connect Devices Wirelessly



A virtual COM port or a virtual serial port is an ideal solution when a legacy software application expects a connection to a serial device port (COM port or COMM port) but cannot connect, due to a physical lack of available serial ports. Instead, we reconfigure the computer to send serial port data over a local area network or the Internet as if over a true serial port. When the legacy application attempts to send data to a serial COM port, it is actually transmitted through the virtual serial port over a TCP/IP connection. Information sent back to the legacy application also travels over the network where it is received by the virtual serial or virtual COM port, and is then finally passed to your legacy application.




Virtual Serial Port Over Wifi



Important Note: This tutorial deals exclusively with a virtual COM port implementation that is used with NetBurner devices. If you are looking for a native software solution to create virtual COM ports for use with other systems or hardware, we suggest the Virtual Serial Port over Ethernet Connector or the Virtual Serial Port Driver from our partners at Eltima Software. They are both incredibly stable and versatile utilities that support various Windows versions, up to the latest Windows 10.


Congratulations! You have now set up and tested your virtual COM port. We hope that you can see how this example can be expanded upon to incorporate your own legacy serial comm applications to work with newer computers that either have too few DB9 RS-232-style ports or none at all.


Permission is hereby granted to purchasers of NetBurner System-on-Modules and serial-to-Ethernet modules (NetBurner Devices) to use this program to create a virtual serial communications port on a Windows computer so long as the sole purpose is to connect to the NetBurner Device. No other rights to use this program or its derivatives in part or in whole are granted.


Is it possible to set up a solution where, from a single computer, I can access multiple Cisco switch console ports over ethernet (USB console/serial ports with USB-A sockets on the switches) . i.e. some kind of command center with multiple switches defined and the ability to click between them effortlessly and bring up their unique console windows, have multiple sessions open at once etc. I understand I would probably need some kind of ethernet to USB-A serial hardware on each switch.


Hi Tony, thanks for the question! If I understand the setup correctly, it should be possible to have multiple switches talk to a single computer over Ethernet with the use of Serial-to-Ethernet converters. You would need one converter per switch. They would allow you to connect to the console ports with a network connection from any computer on the same network using a SSH or Telnet client.


HiCan I send data from one computer to other computer through internet cable which is in a same lan. If so, How to transfer data from one Virtual serial port to other port. Please provide step by step process.Regards,Vino


The process described in the article (and the software we provide) is really only applicable for individuals using our serial to Ethernet devices. You can connect two virtual serial ports together as you described across a LAN, but will need more general software to do so. You can find this from Eltima. You will need one virtual serial port to be set up as the server, and the other as the client. The client will then initiate the connection to the server, and at that point, you will be able to start sending data across the virtual serial ports. Good luck!


HW VSP is a software driver that adds a virtual serial port (e.g. COM5) to the operating system and redirects the data from this port via a TCP/IP network to another hardware interface, which is specified by its IP address and port number. HW VSP3 support even NT Services and 64 bit Windows 8 .


HW Virtual Serial Driver is intended primarily for devices produced by HW group, although it can be used for free as a universal driver that creates a virtual remote serial port, which redirects data to a predefined TCP/IP address and port.


In special applications (e.g. involving GPRS devices), the PC with the HW VSP driver can be set to operate in TCP Server mode, enabling the remote device to initialize the connection by sending any data to the remote port. Upon receiving RS-232 data, the converter establishes a connection with the PC and passes the data to the virtual COM port. Therefore, the scenario very closely resembles behavior of a real serial port.


When using HW VSP together with recommended devices produced by HW group, it is possible to change connection speed, parity, and other communication parameters (as well as to control any digital outputs and inputs) remotely on the fly via the RFC-2217 protocol, thus achieving a true remote serial port behavior.


Ability to run as a service has been the main reason for developing the new version. Running HW VSP as a standalone application requires starting it under a logged-in user and therefore prevents autonomous operation on Windows servers. (At this time, HW VSP fully supports Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2003 Server. Support for Windows 2008 Server is being tested.) In this mode, HW VSP consists of a client-side part (setup GUI) and a server-side part (the service itself). Parameters of a VSP running on a remote server can be easily changed from a local PC. However, in order to improve stability, only one user may access the service and change virtual port parameters at a time. Furthermore, since service administration requires administrator privileges, securing a VSP against misuse is as simple as not installing the client-side part.


In the previous version, HW VSP was fully transparent to the client software and did not restrict the communication flow in any way. Hence, the client SW had to send the data to the serial port using a defined communication speed, or use flow control (handshake). Otherwise, data were sent to the Ethernet / Internet with the maximum speed possible, often in the 10 Mbps range. When the buffers in VSP filled up, data started to be thrown away. Now, it is possible to enable the Strict Baudrate Emulation option in the Settings tab to ensure that VSP communicates with the client SW using the speed that is currently selected for the port.


This function allows connecting VSP to the port previously created and opened by the client application. This function is useful for servers, where it eliminates the need to close the corresponding virtual port before restarting server or the VSP service.


Data communication between electronic devices is inevitable in many electronic projects and brings a lot of advantages to your project i.e. connecting your microcontroller to PC and monitor data on a large colorful display instead of small monochrome LCD. When talking about connecting a device to PC, the most obvious way of communicating is USB port. But transmitting data over USB requires lots of programming. Another easy way is Serial Port (aka COM) and RS232 protocol that only needs a tiny electronic circuit to convert voltage levels and a little programming. So I made an RSS232-TTL UART adapter and published here to uses in all of my projects. But I faced a new problem, new motherboards and laptops have no COM port. Then I decided to make a USB-TTL UART adapter using famous FT232 IC for my projects. It works very well, but long wires from devices to PC are annoying me. Is it possible to have the serial port on the air like wireless mice and keyboards? Of course, it can be done using lovely WiFi module ESP8266, and by using WiFi you have not to make a dongle yourself and also you can have a serial port over the internet. Wow, I just wanted a wireless serial port, now I also have a serial port over the web. That's very exciting.


I placed two connectors for the power supply (one male and one female) to be able to put this device easily between AC adapter output and the set that must connect to the serial port, so you have not to prepare another power source for this device. According to LF33CV datasheet, you can power this device from 3.5VDC to 18VDC.


COM Port Data Emulator is a software application that enables users to emulate an entity, such as an Ethernet device or COM port, that transmits data as a serial stream. The program takes the data stream and converts it to data packets using serial protocols like RS232, TCP/IP or UDP. Then it forwards the packets over the network.


This serial port emulator can randomly generate test data or read it from text or binary files. The data can then be sent to test a port as many times as necessary to achieve the desired results. The app can fill the role of a server or client over an IP-based network. It supports full-duplex mode as well as flow control for serial and RS232 ports.


You can perform serial port emulation with any serial devices that use the RS232/RS485/RS422 protocols. This includes a wide range of industrial controllers and monitoring devices. You can even use z-modem cables and emulate serial data transmission to another computer.


Many of the computers that manufactured today are not equipped with any serial ports at all. Some machines take it a step further and do not have ports of any type, relying on wireless connectivity to peripheral devices.


The reduction in reliance on COM ports in machines and devices used for general purposes has not eliminated the requirement for serial connectivity. Many special-purpose devices still make use of serial interfaces to communicate with computers. Some examples are industrial automation monitoring devices, medical monitoring equipment, and specialized laboratory equipment.


If you have a serial monitoring device in an industrial production facility, it may be transmitting data used as input for several different applications. Creating virtual serial ports from a single port lets all of your applications receive their data at the same time.


So on these occasions, the best choice is virtual serial port emulator software. A benefit of a paid solution is that you receive regular program updates and customer support for your money. This can be a determining factor if you are doing serious development and want the most up-to-date null-modem emulator application available. 2ff7e9595c


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