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Sniff mode

See what your other software is saying

Tap a live serial conversation between a vendor tool and a device — and watch every byte decode as a real protocol, not a hex blur.

Download free for 30 days vs Advanced Serial Port Monitor
How it works

A transparent inline tap

Omni Console opens the real device itself and hands your other software a virtual port, relaying — and decoding — every byte both ways.

Your other app vendor tool
virtual COM12
Omni Console relays + taps
real COM3
Device meter / PLC
Trace & decoders

Sniff mode is for debugging serial links between software and hardware you own or are authorized to test.

Transparent inline tap

Inserts a virtual port between your other software and the device — no kernel filter driver.

Both directions decoded

Request and response land on one stream and decode like any normal capture.

Native on Linux

PTY-based — no driver to install, no elevation, nothing to clean up.

Also on Windows

A com0com virtual pair gives the same decoded sniff on Windows.

Live capture

Request and response, on one stream

Once you repoint your tool at the virtual port, every exchange tees into Omni Console's trace and decoders. You see exactly what the vendor software sends — and what the device answers.

  • Decoded with the same engine as a normal capture — Modbus, DLMS, M-Bus, IEC, MASS
  • Linux: native PTY, no driver, no elevation
  • Windows: com0com virtual serial pair
Omni Console — Sniff mode
Sniffing real port COM3 Stop
Point your other application at COM12 (/dev/pts/5 on Linux)
14:02:11.004  →dev 68 04 04 68 53 FE 51 01 ...
vendor tool → device · M-Bus SND_UD
14:02:11.142  ←dev 68 1F 1F 68 08 02 72 ...
device → tool · RSP_UD · 4 records decoded
14:02:13.890  →dev 10 7B 0B 96 16 ▋
Every byte tee'd into the trace & decoders — request and response on one stream.

Platform support

Linux — available now

  • Native PTY pair
  • No driver, no elevation
  • Nothing to clean up on exit

Windows — supported

  • com0com virtual serial pair
  • Virtual COM pair created on demand
  • The same decoded sniff as Linux
Sniffing questions

Sniff mode, answered

Does sniff mode passively tap a port another program already owns?
No — that needs a signed kernel filter driver. Instead Omni Console acts as a transparent inline tap: it opens the real device and hands your other software a virtual port, relaying and decoding every byte in both directions.
Which platforms support sniffing?
Both. On Linux it uses a native PTY — no driver and no elevation. On Windows it uses a com0com virtual serial pair.
How is this different from Advanced Serial Port Monitor?
Both let you observe serial traffic, but Omni Console decodes it as Modbus, DLMS, M-Bus, IEC 62056-21 and MASS — not just bytes — and adds builders, flows and AI control. See the comparison.
What do I have to change to sniff?
Point your other application at the virtual port Omni Console gives you (e.g. COM12, or /dev/pts/5 on Linux) instead of the real one. That's it — traffic then streams into Omni Console, decoded.

See both sides of the line.

Download Omni Console and sniff your first serial conversation on Windows or Linux — free for 30 days.

Download free for 30 days See pricing

Lifetime licenses from $39.90 · Windows & Linux · cancel anytime in trial