COM port scanner using Advanced Serial Port Monitor

What is a COM Port Scanner

A COM port scanner is a tool for analyzing, monitoring, and diagnosing serial interfaces (COM and RS232) on your computer. The program scans the system for available serial ports, including hidden devices, and adds them to a list with descriptions (e.g., "COM10 - CH340 USB-COM"). You can then select the desired device from the list and start working with it.

How does the COM Port Scanner work?

To build the list of ports, the scanner program uses various Windows API system calls to obtain the port list from Devices Manager and simply tries all the most commonly used port access methods. Note that for a COM port to function correctly in the system, it requires a driver provided by the manufacturer. Drivers for the most popular COM port types are already built into all modern operating systems.

If the program does not see the COM port

Check in Devices Manager that your serial device is displayed without an exclamation mark.
In modern OS, the driver should have a digital signature. Otherwise, Windows will ignore it.
Ensure that the assigned COM port number does not conflict with another device. If it is your case, assign a different port in the device properties in Devices Manager.
If it is a removable device, try to close all programs that might be using it, unplugging, and reconnecting the device.

How does the COM Port Scanner work with data?

The COM port scanner can be used as a tool to monitor data transmission between devices via COM ports (UART). It allows you to track incoming and outgoing data in real-time, identify errors, verify the correctness and order of requests and responses, and simplify equipment debugging.

How to start working with the COM Port Scanner?

Our program is very easy to turn into a powerful and flexibly configurable serial interface debugger. Just remember to do this before launching the program you want to debug. And everything is in your hands - a universal tool for solving a wide range of tasks.

Download and install the program.
Run the program using the shortcut on your desktop.
Select "Mode → Spy" from the main menu.
Select a serial port from the list.
Click the "Open" button.

Selecting the Spy mode Switching to the serial interface scanner mode should be done BEFORE launching the program you want to debug. If this is not done, then later, the serial interface scanner will no longer be able to access the serial port and therefore will not be able to perform its functions.

In the serial interface scanner mode, the program monitors all traffic, including both sent and received data. Sent data can be highlighted on the screen for easier analysis. This feature can be activated in the settings on the "Data view" tab.

Our serial interface scanner allows you to observe data transmission on screen in a format convenient for you: hexadecimal or ASCII. You can also adjust how data is displayed according to your needs in the program properties under "Other → Data View."

Saving data to a log file

One of the key advantages of our Advanced Serial Port Monitor is the ability to save transmitted and received data to a file for further analysis. Flexible settings for file creation modes, for incoming and outgoing data, in ASPM allow you to optimize the process and save time when working with large amounts of data recorded by the serial interface debugger.

Our program is straightforward to turn into a powerful and flexibly configurable serial interface debugger. You can run multiple instances of the program with different settings and scan several COM ports simultaneously with different configurations.

COM port scanners are used in developing and testing electronics, configuring industrial equipment, as well as integrating peripheral devices such as sensors, modems, or printers to enhance their reliability.

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