How to access remote Serial port over Ethernet

How to access remote COM device over network

More and more modern computing devices are now equipped with USB ports. But USB standards, although fast, still have certain disadvantages; that is why many technologies make use of serial ports. COM port devices can be used remotely, i.e. one can work with these devices even if they are not in physical proximity. Or let us take a use-case of an app that needs to receive data from a serial port on a remote computer. In such situations you need Serial to Ethernet Connector, a simple yet efficient software solution that enables serial port remote access.

• Contents
• How to work with remote serial port
• The hardware to access remote COM

How to access serial over network?

Let us consider a few most common use cases when you need remote serial access over LAN or any other network:

1. Say, you have a serial device connected to a local computer and you need to work with it from another computer in the network. How do you access serial port from several machines simultaneously? Download and install Serial Ethernet Connector on each of computers, this will make your serial device available to others, they can access serial over Ethernet, the Internet, etc. Using a remote serial device over network is no different from using the same device when it is inserted in your local machine.
2. It is not only about sharing your local machine’s serial port. In case you need to access COM over network from a remote machine, Serial to Ethernet Connector helps you solve this problem too. You need to install the software on the local computer (server) and on a PC that has an application that needs to communicate to the serial port. The remote computer will display a virtual serial connection that enables the app to talk to the port.
3. If client apps installed on several computers in your network require a null modem (serial) connection to work, you need to setup one. Serial to Ethernet Connector creates virtual COM ports on both machines and connects them via LAN/Ethernet even if there is no real hardware serial device/ port. Your apps will recognize a real null-modem connection and make use of it according to the algorithm set.

The app is available for Windows and Linux, and it is up to you to decide which OS is to be set as a client or server. Broadcasting over UDP is possible too. Note that current Linux version is a command-line product.

Hardware solution to access remote COM device over the network

A specialized hardware, serial-to-ethernet converter, will be of use to those who want to remotely access serial over Ethernet.

With the help of the converter, computers can exchange data with multiple remote serial devices over the network at a time. The hardware makes it possible to connect to serial ports embedded in networking equipment such as routers, switches, servers, etc., providing serial port remote access.

Serial-to-ethernet converter, serving as a replacement for cables, is capable of connecting signage equipment to serial-to-ethernet adapters over Ethernet. In addition, it can be a good alternative to existing serial dial-up modem connections.

All you need to do is connect the hardware to both a serial port device and Ethernet. Now, the device is available for remote access from any network computer. Serial-Ethernet converter will be a good solution for sharing COM port equipment among client computers located in the same room or building. The hardware, however, does not allow accessing serial devices located in another country or on the other side of the world, while the software solution by Eltima provides such opportunity.