KeeLog SerialGhost DB-9 User manual

SerialGhost Wi-Fi
Copyright © 2013 KeeLog
1
User’s Guide
SerialGhost Wi-Fi
DB-9/DB-25 2 GB
Check http://www.keelog.com/ for the latest version of this document.

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Table of contents
Getting started ................................................................................................................. 2
Introduction...................................................................................................................... 3
About the product ......................................................................................................... 3
Features....................................................................................................................... 3
Requirements............................................................................................................... 3
Quick Start....................................................................................................................... 4
Configuration ................................................................................................................. 10
Recording data............................................................................................................... 12
Viewing recorded data.................................................................................................... 13
Remote access.............................................................................................................. 15
Checklist .................................................................................................................... 15
Configuration.............................................................................................................. 15
E-mail reporting .......................................................................................................... 17
On-demand access..................................................................................................... 18
Clock configuration......................................................................................................... 21
Using KL Tools............................................................................................................... 23
Configuration files .......................................................................................................... 24
CONFIG.TXT.............................................................................................................. 25
TIME.TXT................................................................................................................... 26
WIFI.TXT.................................................................................................................... 27
Specifications................................................................................................................. 29
Troubleshooting............................................................................................................. 30
Legal disclaimer............................................................................................................. 32
Getting started
Already familiar with SerialGhost data loggers?
Make your logger go on-line in a few simple steps: section Quick Start
New to SerialGhost data loggers?
First, configure the logger: section Configuration
Then learn about recording data: section Recording data
Then, retrieve the recorded data: section Viewing recorded data
Finally, get the most out of your Wi-Fi data logger by configuring WLAN
communications: section Remote access
Questions or problems?
Go through the Troubleshooting section.

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Introduction
About the product
The SerialGhost Wi-Fi is a compact RS-232 and serial bus logger with a memory capacity of
2GB, that may be accessed locally as a USB Flash Drive, or remotely through Wireless LAN.
Bidirectional data flowing through the serial bus will be captured and stored on the internal
Flash Drive in a special file. This data may be retrieved by switching to Flash Drive mode,
giving instant access to all captured data. The Wireless LAN functionality allows receiving
logged data as E-mail reports, and on-demand via the local TCP/IP network. The SerialGhost
Wi-Fi also features a built-in time-stamping module and battery. This enables it to add time
and date information to the log file. Thanks to the internal battery, the time and date persist
even when the device is not powered. The SerialGhost Wi-Fi does not require any dedicated
software or drivers.
Features
Logs asynchronous serial transmission (RS-232 compatible)
Baud rates up to 115200 bps
Logs 2 streams simultaneously (RX and TX)
2 Gigabytes internal memory
Powered from a USB port, or external power supply
No software or drivers required, Windows, Linux, and Mac compatible
USB Flash Drive mode
Background connection to the Internet over a local Access Point
Automatic E-mail reports with recorded data
On-demand access at any time through TCP/IP
Support for WEP, WPA, and WPA-2 encryption
Time and date stamping
Built-in battery
Requirements
Asynchronous serial bus with RS-232 logic levels (+/-12V)
Operating system with USB Mass-Storage device support
5V DC power source (external power supply, or USB port)
Wi-Fi compliant Access Point coverage (WPA-2, WPA, WEP64/128, or open network)
Optionally MS Windows XP/Vista/7/8 (only for running KL Tools)

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Quick Start
This section contains concise information on basic operation of the SerialGhost Wi-Fi. If you
need detailed instructions, please refer to sections Configuration, Recording data, and
Viewing recorded data.
Before you start, make sure you have the following information about the serial bus you want
to log data from:
Baud rate (bits per second)
Number of bits per transfer (usually 8)
Parity bit configuration (usually not used)
Number of stop bits per transfer (usually 1)
Step 1. Open a text editor (such as Notepad) and create a file named CONFIG.TXT. This file
will later be used to configure the device. Use the following template:
Baudrate=9600
Bits=8
Parity=None
StopBits=1
Replace Baudrate with the actual baud rate in bits per second of the serial bus you want to
log data from. Replace Bits with the number of bits per transfer (5…8). Provide the parity
check using one of the following strings: None, Even, Odd, Space, or Mark. Replace StopBits
with the number of stop bits per transfer (1, 1.5, or 2).
Finally, save the configuration file as CONFIG.TXT.

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Step 2. Connect the serial logger and enable Flash Drive mode.
Take the supplied USB cable and connect it to the mini-port on the logger’s side. Connect the
USB cable to a free USB port using the supplied red USB Key.
After a few seconds, the SerialGhost will automatically get detected as a mass storage
device, and pop up as a removable drive.
Step 3. Copy the configuration file CONFIG.TXT to the logger’s Flash Drive.
Then, safely remove the device, and disconnect it from the USB port. Disconnect the USB
cable as well.

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Step 4. To start logging, connect the logger in-line on a serial bus, powering the device
through the mini USB port.
The device may be powered from a standard USB port. Do not use the red USB key.
Alternatively, an external +5V DC (min. 200 mA) power supply may be used to power the
device through the mini-USB port (cell phone chargers with USB connectors are well suited
for this).
Step 5. To retrieve the logged data, enable Flash Drive mode using the red USB Key, just
like in step 2. A removable drive will pop-up, containing the file LOG.TXT with recorded data.
The upstream data (TX) and downstream data (RX) will be differentiated by the markers [1]
and [2] interleaved in the log file.

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Step 6. To configure the Wireless LAN connection, make sure you have the following data
about the Wi-Fi network the device will operate in:
WLAN Access Point ID (SSID)
WLAN encryption type (WPA-2, WPA, WEP64/128, or open network)
WLAN encryption password
Make sure you also have an E-mail address the logger can send reports to.
Open a text editor (such as Notepad) and create a file named WIFI.TXT. This file will later be
used to configure the device. Use the following template:
WiFiNetwork=MyNetwork
WiFiPassword=MyPassword
WiFiEncryption=WPA2
Recipient=[e-mail]
Replace MyNetwork with the Access Point ID (SSID). Replace MyPassword with the WLAN
password. Provide the encryption type using one of the following strings: WPA2, WPA,
WEP64, WEP128, or None. Provide the E-mail address you would like to receive reports to
after the Recipient string. Make sure you provide all strings in a case-sensitive manner.
Finally, save the configuration file as WIFI.TXT.
Step 7. Enable Flash Drive mode, as in step 5, and copy the configuration file WIFI.TXT to
the Flash Drive.

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Then, safely remove the device, and disconnect it from the USB port.
Step 8. On the next power-up, the logger will automatically connect to the Access Point
defined in WIFI.TXT, and send an E-mail report to the specified recipient address every hour.
Besides logged data, the report will contain Access Point information, IP configuration, and
time-stamps.

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Step 9. If E-mail reporting is not enough, you can take full control over the device from any
computer in your Local Area Network. Install the supplied application KL Tools, add the logger
to the list by its IP number, and explore the available features.
Using KL Tools you can communicate with multiple SerialGhosts, allowing creating entire
networks of wireless data loggers. This solution is particularly recommended for monitoring
several devices in a system with a large number of devices using serial buses, such as RS-
232.
To read more on KL Tools, jump to section Remote access.

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Configuration
The SerialGhost Wi-Fi may be configured through the file CONFIG.TXT, placed in the Flash
Drive root folder. Use any text editor to prepare such a configuration file, containing the
following text:
Baudrate=9600
Bits=8
Parity=None
StopBits=1
Copy this file to the root folder in Flash Drive mode. The new configuration will be loaded on
next power-up.
The following list presents the most common configuration options. All variable and value
strings are case insensitive.
Baudrate sets the baud rate in bits per second of the monitored serial bus. Range is 300 bps
to 115,200 bps. Default value is 9600.
Bits sets the number of bits per transfer of the monitored serial bus. Possible values are 5, 6,
7, 8. Default value is 8.
Parity sets the parity bit type of the monitored serial bus. Possible values are None, Even,
Odd, Space, Mark. Default value is None.
StopBits sets the number of stop bits per transfer of the monitored serial bus. Possible
values are 1, 1.5, 2. Default is 1.
Timestamping configures the built-in time- and date-stamping module, available in the
SerialGhost TimeKeeper only. Allowed values are Yes (timestamping enable) and No
(timestamping disabled). Default is Yes.

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TimestampInterval sets the interval of serial bus inactivity in seconds, that will trigger a new
time-stamp being logged. Range is 1 second to 9999 seconds. Default value is 10.
DisableLogging allows to disable logging. Allowed values are Yes (logging disabled) and No
(logging enabled). Default value is No.
Encryption enables flash disk encrypting. Encryption will ensure full confidentiality of the
stored data, even if the device is physically tampered with. Allowed values are Yes
(encryption enabled) and No (encryption disabled). Default is No.
Important: toggling the encryption setting will format the entire flash disk. All data will be lost,
including the configuration file!
Password sets the 3-letter password for remote access over TCP/IP (for example using KL
Tools). Any three-letter combination is allowed (sequence and case are irrelevant). Default
value is KBS.
LogMode sets the logging mode. Possible values are Ascii (data is logged as ASCII), Hex
(data is logged as hexadecimal numbers), Dec (data is logged as decimal numbers). Default
value is Ascii.
Separator sets the separator character between data values in logging mode Dec/Hex.
Possible values are None, Space, Comma, Tab, Newline. Default is Space.
LogStream configures which serial stream are to be logged. Possible values are Both (both
RX and TX get logged), Rx (only Rx is logged), Tx (only Tx is logged). Default is Both. If the
mode is set to Both, the [1] and [2] markers will be used to differentiate between streams.
A full list of parameters is available in section Configuration files.

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Recording data
Record mode is the default mode of operation for the SerialGhost Wi-Fi data logger. In record
mode, the device will silently monitor the bidirectional data flow on the serial bus and store the
captured data on the internal Flash Drive in file LOG.TXT.
The SerialGhost Wi-Fi must first be configured to the appropriate serial bus parameters, such
as baud rate. Refer to section Configuration for detailed instructions.
Installation of the SerialGhost Wi-Fi in record mode is quick and easy, no software or drivers
are required. Simply plug it in-line on the serial bus, using the DB-9 or DB-25 connectors. The
device may be powered from a standard USB port, using the supplied cable. Alternatively, an
external +5V DC (min. 200 mA) power supply may be used to power the device through the
mini-USB port (cell phone chargers with USB connectors are well suited for this).
SerialGhost in record mode powered from a
USB port.
SerialGhost in record mode powered by an
external 5V DC (min. 200mA) power supply.

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Viewing recorded data
Once serial data has been recorded, it may be retrieved on any computer with a USB port.
This is done by switching to Flash Drive mode. Take the supplied USB cable and connect it to
the mini-port on the logger’s side. Connect the USB cable to a free USB port using the
supplied red USB Key.
After a few seconds, the SerialGhost Wi-Fi will automatically get detected as a mass storage
device, and pop up as a removable drive. The operating system will use the standard built-in
mass storage driver (MS Windows 7 in the following examples).
Depending on the drive letters available, the device will be visible as a new drive, for example
F:. Use the systems file manager to browse this disk (for example Explorer).

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The removable disk will contain the file LOG.TXT with a text log of all captured data. The data
is stored in the same format as appearing on the serial bus, without any encoding. The
upstream data (TX) and downstream data (RX) will be differentiated by the markers [1] and
[2] interleaved in the log file. The SerialGhost Wi-Fi will also interleave time-stamps. The file
LOG.TXT can be viewed and searched with any text editor, such as Notepad or MS Word.
Switching back to record mode can be achieved by a safe software removal of the flash disk.
Use the systems standard disk removal procedure. For MS Windows, left-click on the Safe
Removal icon in the system tray and select the appropriate drive. Then reconnect the
SerialGhost to the USB port, however without the supplied USB Key.
To get the most out of the SerialGhost, install the supplied application KL Tools. Go to section
Using KL Tools to find out more.

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Remote access
This section guides through enabling E-mail reporting and TCP/IP access for the SerialGhost
Wi-Fi data logger.
Checklist
Before you start, make sure you have the following data about the Wi-Fi network the logger
will operate in:
WLAN Access Point ID (SSID)
WLAN encryption type (WPA-2, WPA, WEP64/128, or open network)
WLAN encryption password
Make sure you also have an E-mail address the wireless logger can send reports to. Finally,
to make the configuration process as simple as possible, install the supplied application KL
Tools. The installation process is straightforward, just follow the wizard and answer a few
standard questions.
Configuration
The SerialGhost Wi-Fi can be configured and operated entirely from KL Tools. Launch the
application, select the device model, and choose to configure your device. The application will
first display a serial bus configuration dialog, and then a time configuration dialog. If changing
the default password, memorize or note the new values, otherwise access to the internal
memory will not be possible. If unsure about a certain configuration option, leave the default
value.

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Serial bus configuration
Time-stamping module configuration
Finally, a Wi-Fi configuration dialog will be shown. Enter
the data allowing the logger to connect to the WLAN
Access Point:
WLAN Access Point ID (SSID)
WLAN encryption type
WLAN encryption password
Remember, that these strings are case-sensitive.
If the WLAN Access Point does not allow Auto-IP
configuration through DHCP, provide a static IP address,
network mask, gateway address, and DNS information.
To receive E-mail reports containing serial data, supply
your E-mail address. You may adjust the reporting interval
and report size.
When finished, make sure the device is connected as in
record mode. KL Tools will automatically create
configuration files (CONFIG.TXT, TIME.TXT, WIFI.TXT),
prompt for enabling Flash Drive mode, and copy the files
to the loggers Flash Drive.

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E-mail reporting
The SerialGhost Wi-Fi will send E-mail reports to the specified recipient address, by default
every hour. Besides logged data, the report will contain Access Point information, IP
configuration, and time-stamps.
The report size and interval may be set by configuring the logger through the file WIFI.TXT.
Use KL Tools to do this, or view section Configuration files.

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On-demand access
The SerialGhost Wi-Fi offers on-demand access via TCP/IP from any computer connected to
the network. This feature is usually limited to the Local Area Network, unless your local
network segment is visible globally. To access the logger remotely, launch KL Tools, select
the proper device version, and navigate through the wizard to remote access. The Wi-Fi
Control Center will be shown.
A remote device needs to be added first. This can be done by clicking the Add Device icon,
and supplying the IP address, name (optional), and device password. The password must
match the local 3-character combination defined in the devices CONFIG.TXT (K, B, S by
default).
The IP address of the remote device can be obtained in a few ways:
from an E-mail report (see section E-mail reporting)
from the device configuration (if using static IP)
from the Access Point configuration (if using Auto-IP)
If the IP address is unknown, the Search Local Network option can be used. This feature will
send a broadcast signal to all devices in the Local Area Network, to which remote loggers

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should respond. Make sure that no firewall blocks UDP communication, otherwise the
procedure will fail.
Once a remote device is added, the log may be retrieved using the Download Log option.
If interested in other parts of the remote log file than the most recent 50 kB, use the Download
Log Chunk option. This will display a dialog, allowing downloading any part of the remote log
file.

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KL Tools offers a wide variety of options, available at a single mouse-click:
E-mail and WWW search
Encoding and layout conversion
Document searching
Document exporting
Communication with remote device
Multiple device handling
Using KL Tools you can communicate with multiple SerialGhosts, allowing creating entire
networks of wireless data loggers. This solution is particularly recommended for monitoring
several devices in a system with a large number of devices using serial buses, such as RS-
232.