Tibbo > Serial-over-IP

Network-Enable any Serial Device

RS232 ports may have disappeared from your PC, but serial interfaces continue to be widespread in many industries such as automation, security, and IT.

Tibbo's serial-over-IP solutions marry the simplicity of serial communication with the TCP/IP networking of the Internet age.

We supply external SoI controllers (a.k.a. "Device Servers"), as well as embedded serial-to-Ethernet modules.

Because our SoI devices also offer Wi-Fi and 4G/LTE cellular connectivity, we refer to them as serial-over-IP, and not just serial-over-Ethernet products.

There are three fundamental ways in which you can use Tibbo's Serial-over-IP devices. Each of the methods described below is fully supported by the Tibbo Device Server Toolkit (TDST) Windows software* and its Connection Wizard — a scenario-based configuration tool that will have your Tibbo SoI Device up and running in literally no time at all.

* We have the software for Linux as well.

Virtual Serial Ports for Windows
(COM port-over-IP solution)

Our Virtual Serial Port Driver (VSPD) for Windows allows you to access your Tibbo Device Server's serial port as if it was a real COM port of your PC. VSPD for Linux is also available.

Direct TCP and UDP links

All Tibbo serial-over-IP devices support standard TCP and UDP protocols, so you can open a socket and exchange data with their serial ports directly, no driver necessary.

Device-to-device links

A pair of Tibbo Device Servers can talk to each other over the network directly, using TCP or UDP protocols. This creates a virtual serial link that can span a room, a building, or the entire planet.

Versatile Hardware

Tibbo offers two categories of SoI devices: The first category comprises earlier fixed-function Device Servers and serial-to-Ethernet modules that were designed exclusively for running our SoI firmware.

Devices in the second category are infinitely more flexible. These are BASIC- and C-programmable products that take on a role of SoI devices when loaded with our open-source SoI application.

All Tibbo Serial-over-IP (SoI) products feature an Ethernet port as the standard means of networking. In addition, several of our SoI products offer optional Wi-Fi and 4G/LTE cellular connectivity.

Our SoI devices offer from one to four serial ports or channels. Available choices include TTL, RS232, RS485, and multi-protocol RS232/422/485 ports.

Channels: Squeezing Multiple Serial Ports Onto a Single DB9

Devices supporting this feature have a single DB9M connector and are priced as single-port products, yet pack several independent serial channels.

Have no use for those DSR and DTR lines? Turn them into RX and TX lines of an additional serial channel. Don't want CTS and RTS either? That's one more RX/TX pair!

Our serial-over-IP (SoI) application defines 15 different configurations or "port mappings" to choose from, starting from a standard single-channel configuration (RX, TX, CTS, RTS, DSR, DTR, and DCD) and ending with the 3.5-channel setup (RX, TX, RX2, TX2, RX3, TX3, and RX4).

Splitting wires can be conveniently carried out with the TB1100 adaptor.

Serial-over-IP (SoI) Application Firmware

Here are the main features of the serial-over-IP (SoI) application designed for our BASIC/C-programmable devices (fixed-function Device Servers and serial-to-Ethernet modules have a similar set of features):

Networking

Support for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PPP (4G/LTE) and PPPoE ("ADSL") networking.

Serial ports (channels)

Up to four serial ports or channels.
Full- and half-duplex serial port modes (for RS232, RS422, and RS485 communications).
Remote control of RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines.
"On-the-fly" network-side commands for an immediate change of the serial port configuration (baud rate, parity, etc.).
Serial-side "modem" commands for the control of network links.

Configuration

Configuration storage in the EEPROM
Setup through the serial port or network commands.
Network-side configuration via a web browser, Telnet, or UDP commands (DS Manager utility).

Status indication

Detailed status indication via LEDs and optional LCD/OLED displays.

Open-Source Serial-over-IP App

The Serial-over-IP (SoI) firmware created for our programmable devices is open-source*! It is written in Tibbo BASIC, using a development software called Tibbo IDE (TIDE). It is but one of the applications we published with full source codes.

Feel free to modify or borrow from the SoI app in any way you please. Anything is possible — from a simple logo replacement to a deeper rework of features. Chop the code up, slice it and dice it, put it back together, or turn it into something else entirely. Have no time or desire to write your own code? Contract Tibbo to do this for you!

To visit the Serial-over-IP project page click here.

* The firmware for our fixed-function Device Servers and serial-to-Ethernet converters is NOT open-source.