Virtual Serial Port for Tridium Niagara

The Virtual Serial Port module creates virtual COM ports in Tridium Niagara that communicate over TCP/IP instead of physical serial cables. Most Niagara serial drivers, such as Modbus RTU or Siemens P1, can use a virtual port to reach devices connected through serial-to-Ethernet gateways anywhere on the network.

Virtual ports solve common integration challenges that arise in modern building automation. Supervisors, virtual machines, and cloud-hosted Niagara deployments have no physical COM ports, making serial communication impossible without this module. JACE controllers have a limited number of serial ports, and virtual ports allow expanding beyond that limit by adding serial-to-Ethernet gateways. RS-232 cables are restricted to short distances, but a gateway at the device end and a virtual port on the Niagara end extend serial communication across the entire IP network.

In retrofit projects, virtual ports eliminate the need to rewire serial buses back to a new controller — gateways can be placed at each existing serial bus instead. Wi-Fi or cellular serial gateways can reach equipment in locations where running cable is impractical, such as rooftops, parking structures, or remote pump stations. A single Supervisor can manage serial devices across multiple sites via VPN, with gateways at each location. Virtual ports also simplify commissioning and troubleshooting by allowing engineers to connect to serial devices over the network without being physically at the panel.

Each virtual port is configured with the IP address and TCP port of the remote serial-to-Ethernet gateway. The module implements the standard Niagara serial port interface, so it appears as a regular COM port to any serial driver. The connection is established lazily on first data transfer and automatically reconnects on failure with a configurable delay. Real-time status monitoring provides visibility into the connection state at all times.

Serial-to-Ethernet gateways are widely available from manufacturers such as Moxa, Lantronix, Digi, Perle, and others. These devices convert RS-232 or RS-485 signals to TCP/IP, making legacy serial equipment accessible over standard Ethernet infrastructure. The Virtual Serial Port module works with any gateway that provides a raw TCP socket connection, ensuring broad compatibility across vendors and models.

For more information, to schedule a demonstration, or to try a free trial version, contact us today to see how Virtual Serial Port can simplify your serial integration challenges.