Serial port devices such as barcode scanners, GPS readers, specific industrial equipment, and various lab instruments typically do not use a serial over LAN connection but a good-old serial cable to communicate with software on a computer.
When the device and computer are located some distance apart, a physical connection is impossible. Serial over LAN software enables the device to be attached locally to a server and accessed remotely by the application running on a client machine. A simple example is an application running in the home office that interacts with barcode scanners in a variety of remote retail locations.
Follow the steps below to share COM ports over the network with FlexiHub:
Here is a detailed video guide on how to share COM ports over the network:
After completing these simple instructions, you will be able to connect to network serial ports and devices from any remote location, and use them as if they were plugged to your computer.
Serial over LAN is a functionality that allows serial port data to be transmitted over the network. It is made possible by convering and encapsulating serial data to network packets transferred to the remote machines.
Virtualization is the key to the power of FlexiHub. Using advanced port redirection technology, the software creates shared COM ports that can be accessed over the network.
✓ No matter the distance between the computers, with FlexiHub you will be able to use any serial port device whether it is connected to the computer in the same building or overseas. Serial devices plugged into the PCs that are logged into the same FlexiHub account can be accessed over network right away.
✓ FlexiHub is a versatile cross-platform solution that runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac systems.
Note: Linux and Mac versions cannot share serial devices. It is possible to share serial ports on Windows only.
✓ A direct connection between the computers might not be possible when one of them does not have a discoverable public IP address. FlexiHub will send serial data over the Serial Redirector server so that you could still connect remote COM port devices.
✓ 2048-bit SSL encryption that is used in FlexiHub ensures advanced security when connecting serial devices over network so you wouldn’t worry about data safety.
