Connect proprietary industrial devices to OPC UA — without custom coding.
Connect weigh scales, barcode scanners, printers, lab instruments, and legacy equipment using documented serial and Ethernet protocols. Build custom device connections visually and deliver data to SCADA, HMI, and other industrial applications.
View PricingOmniServer bridges the communication gap between industrial devices and the applications that need their data.
A scanner, scale, sensor, or other industrial device generates data.
Data arrives using the device's specific message structure.
Configured parsing rules identify the message structure and extract the barcode value.
Data is now available as a structured, named OPC UA item readable by connected clients.
Connected OPC UA clients can read and use the device data.
OmniServer can do more than retrieve information from industrial equipment. When a device protocol permits bidirectional communication, engineers can configure commands, polling requests, and response handling. This supports applications such as sending print instructions to an industrial label printer, requesting a measurement from a weighing instrument, or controlling a documented device function.
To configure a custom protocol, you will typically need the device communication manual or protocol specification describing its message structure and communication settings. Request a free protocol evaluation →
Available sample configurations can provide a starting point for a documented device protocol.
Weight values and scale status from Mettler Toledo instruments using the SICS command set.
Request This ProtocolScan data from Datalogic fixed-mount scanners using ASCII output over serial connection.
Request This ProtocolSend text messages to Andon and production marquee displays using custom serial output.
Request This ProtocolTemperature setpoints and process values from Eurotherm controllers and compatible instruments.
Request This ProtocolSample protocols provide a starting point for configuring supported devices. Depending on the device model, firmware, and communication settings, modifications may be required.
From legacy serial devices to specialized OEM equipment, OmniServer helps make proprietary industrial data accessible.
Capture barcode values from industrial scanners and expose them to compatible monitoring and production systems.
e.g. Datalogic, Zebra, Honeywell fixed-mount scanners
Retrieve weight measurements from scales using proprietary or non-standard communication formats.
e.g. Mettler Toledo SICS, GSE, Rice Lake, Sartorius
Connect older machines that use serial or custom communication protocols to modern industrial systems.
e.g. Eurotherm controllers, older CNC machines, legacy PLCs
Send print commands and job data to label printers and marking systems directly from HMI or SCADA.
e.g. Zebra ZPL-II, Domino, Markem-Imaje printers
Collect readings from compatible instruments using documented device-specific message formats.
e.g. Mettler Toledo balances, spectrometers, titrators
Make data from specialized production equipment available to connected plant applications.
e.g. filling machines, conveyors, checkweighers, case coders
Have a Device You Need to Connect?
Talk to an ExpertSee how manufacturers, integrators, and warehouses have used OmniServer to bridge the gap between proprietary devices and industrial systems.
A food manufacturer connected GSE weighing equipment to AVEVA InTouch HMI and SQL Server using OmniServer — no custom software required. Weight readings are now live in SCADA and automatically logged to a database.
A paper manufacturer used OmniServer to send ZPL-II label commands from Wonderware InTouch directly to Zebra printers on the factory floor — replacing a fragile custom middleware layer.
A UK retailer modernized 5 legacy mini-load crane systems using OmniServer to expose their proprietary serial data as OPC DA — enabling a full SCADA integration without replacing a single piece of equipment.
Discover how OmniServer transforms device-specific messages into usable industrial data.
Three-minute demonstration: configure an OmniServer protocol for a marquee or Andon display.
Use OmniServer's visual configuration tools to define device communications, interpret messages, and make the resulting data available to your industrial applications.
Flexible licensing options for different industrial connectivity requirements.
For basic keyboard-wedge data capture applications.
Perpetual license · 1 yr S&M included
Part #: 41242111-N
For industrial applications requiring OPC connectivity.
Perpetual license · 1 yr S&M included
Part #: 41242109-N
For OPC applications that also need MQTT publishing, data logging, email notifications, and advanced integration plug-ins.
Perpetual license · 1 yr S&M included
Part #: 41242110-N
Get OmniServer with additional implementation assistance.
Perpetual license · 1 yr S&M included
Server or Professional edition
All editions are perpetual licenses. Each purchase includes the first year of Support & Maintenance. Annual renewal is required to maintain access to product updates and technical support.
AI Co-pilot for configuration help, troubleshooting, and best practices. Available 24/7 as part of your licensing.
| Feature | Wedge | Server | Professional | Starter Kits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intended application | Keyboard-wedge capture | Expose proprietary device data to OPC and related industrial clients | OPC connectivity plus advanced data integration | Server or Professional + consulting |
| Professional Edition: Advanced Data Integration | Not included | Traditional industrial client connectivity | Extends OmniServer beyond traditional OPC clients with MQTT publishing, text and database logging, email notifications, and advanced plug-ins. | Professional kit only |
| OPC UA connectivity | No | Yes | Yes | Based on edition |
| OPC DA connectivity | No | Yes | Yes | Based on edition |
| FastDDE | No | Yes | Yes | Based on edition |
| Wonderware SuiteLink | No | Yes | Yes | Based on edition |
| Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) | No | Yes | Yes | Based on edition |
| Simultaneous client interfaces | No | Supported where permitted by edition and configuration | Supported where permitted by edition and configuration | Based on edition |
| MQTT publishing | No | No | Publishes configured device data to compatible brokers such as Cogent DataHub, HiveMQ, and other compatible MQTT brokers for industrial IoT distribution. MQTT plug-in details | Professional kit only |
| Text / database logging | No | No | Records device readings, production measurements, and historical process information to text files or databases for downstream reporting. | Professional kit only |
| Email notifications | No | No | Email notification plug-in for applications that need messages based on configured device data or application conditions. | Professional kit only |
| Advanced plug-ins | No | No | Yes | Professional kit only |
| Windows service operation | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Perpetual licensing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Support & Maintenance | 1 year included | 1 year included | 1 year included | 1 year included |
| Implementation consulting | No | Optional | Optional | 2 hours included |
Software Toolbox offers implementation assistance for customers who need help interpreting a device protocol, building or troubleshooting a configuration, or completing an initial OmniServer implementation.
Remote guidance for protocol interpretation, architecture questions, configuration, and troubleshooting.
Focused engineering help to translate documented messages into a working OmniServer configuration.
A Server or Professional license bundled with two hours of implementation consulting.
An optional USB hardware licensing key is also available for new and existing licenses and can be useful in offline or restricted environments. Confirm edition and deployment compatibility before purchase.
Not Sure Which Edition You Need?
Get Help ChoosingConfigure communications, interpret device messages, and make proprietary data accessible to your applications.
Supports RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, TCP/IP, and UDP, plus compatible LPT and USB virtual COM connections.
Connect through RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 serial interfaces and TCP/IP or UDP networks. OmniServer also documents LPT printer-port communication and compatible USB devices that present as Windows virtual COM ports. Serial connections use the baud rate, parity, stop bits, and flow control documented by the device manufacturer. Multiple compatible devices can communicate simultaneously, with each connection independently configured for its documented protocol.
A graphical, no-code interface lets you define message structures, polling patterns, and communication behavior using built-in configuration tools.
Build device communications without developing a custom driver. The Visual Protocol Editor supports drag-and-drop message construction and table-based configuration for request and response templates, message sequences, protocol items, reusable components, framing, polling behavior, and data mappings. Explore the advanced configuration tools below.
Work with custom ASCII protocols, proprietary binary formats, and modified standard protocols — all parsed visually using OmniServer's built-in tools.
Interpret text-based ASCII messages, proprietary binary structures, and documented vendor modifications to standard protocols. Parsing rules can identify start and end characters, convert supported data types, extract individual values from complex messages, and validate checksums where the protocol supports it. For example, a rule can isolate a barcode between delimiters or extract a weight value from a fixed position in a scale response, then map it to a named data item.
Server and Professional editions expose data through OPC UA, OPC DA 1.0a/2.0/2.05, FastDDE, SuiteLink, and DDE.
Server and Professional editions make configured device data available through OPC UA (DA Profile), OPC DA 1.0a, 2.0, and 2.05, FastDDE, AVEVA/Wonderware SuiteLink, and Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE). Multiple supported client interfaces can operate simultaneously where permitted by the licensed edition and configuration, serving compatible SCADA, HMI, historian, MES, and other applications. Wedge Edition does not include these server interfaces. Watch the OPC UA configuration tutorial.
Define request/response sequences visually — including what query to send, at what interval, and what response structure to expect.
When the documented device protocol permits bidirectional communication, OmniServer can send commands, request information, receive responses, and interpret the returned message. Engineers configure polling intervals and device-specific request/response sequences in the visual protocol builder. For example, an HMI can pass a label-printing command through OmniServer to a compatible industrial printer.
Built-in diagnostics, EDC validation, and the included OPC Test Client help verify a configuration before production connection.
Use communication monitoring to validate message definitions, observe exchanges, and identify timeouts or unexpected responses. Standard and custom checksums, CRCs, LRCs, and other EDC calculations can validate message integrity where required by the documented protocol. Because OmniServer is a server, an OPC client must request data for communication to occur; the included OPC Test Client lets engineers perform initial protocol testing, verify device connectivity and data items, troubleshoot communication, and validate functionality before the final SCADA or HMI is available. Watch the OPC Test Client tutorial.
OmniServer provides advanced configuration tools that make complex device protocols easier to implement, reuse, and maintain. From variable-based protocols to message chaining and custom error detection, these capabilities help engineers connect equipment without developing custom drivers.
Topic Variables define device-specific values, such as a Device ID, at the topic level instead of embedding them in a protocol. One reusable protocol can therefore serve multiple devices without separate protocol definitions.
Example: Configure one protocol for 20 devices that share a message format, then assign each device address through its Topic Variables.
Watch Topic Variables tutorialRegister Numbers simplify devices that organize data with register-based addressing. Engineers can reuse item definitions that reference different register numbers instead of manually creating hundreds of similar data items.
Example: For a proprietary controller with 200 Modbus-like registers, reuse the item structure while assigning the appropriate register number.
Watch Register Numbers tutorialThe Visual Protocol Editor supports configurable favorite message sequences and reusable message components. Favorites reduce repetitive configuration work when the same structures appear throughout a protocol; they do not automatically generate a complete protocol.
Character Translations replace specific characters, bytes, or character sequences with alternative values during message processing.
Example: Translate unusual control characters or a proprietary byte sequence before interpreting the values in a device message.
Read Character Translations tutorialChaining Messages supports protocols that require multiple communication steps, including handshaking and sequences of transmitted or received messages.
Example: Configure an initialization message, acknowledgment, and data request before the device returns a measurement.
Read Chained Messages tutorialStrict Message Parsing gives engineers additional byte-for-byte response control, including protocols whose incoming messages do not begin with a defined leading character. This is useful for unusual or non-standard message framing.
OmniServer includes standard Error Detection Codes (EDCs) and a custom EDC builder for specialized message validation, including checksums, cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs), longitudinal redundancy checks (LRCs), and custom error detection calculations. These mechanisms validate message integrity; they are not encryption or cybersecurity protection.
Example: Validate the checksum appended to a proprietary device message before processing its data.
Read Error Detection Code design articleThe Topic Wizard guides initial configuration of an OmniServer topic—the connection between a device and the client applications accessing its data.
Watch Topic Wizard tutorialCSV Import/Export supports bulk configuration and transfer of Topics, Devices, Protocol Items, Registers, Topic Variables, and Command and Response Messages, reducing repetitive manual entry.
Example: Import or transfer supported configuration information for a large set of similar device items instead of entering each one manually.
Read CSV Import/Export tutorialOmniServer's Unified Tree View centralizes device and topic configuration so engineers can navigate related settings without opening a separate configuration window for every task.
The Visual Protocol Editor combines drag-and-drop message construction with table-based configuration for message sequences, protocol items, and reusable message components.
Read Visual Protocol Editor introductionRequirements can change with product releases and Microsoft lifecycle updates. Confirm the current official requirements before deployment.
Four starting points to evaluate OmniServer with your specific equipment — from download to expert review.
Get the full-functionality free trial — one installer covers all three editions. Configure your device protocol and test connectivity before you buy.
Download Free TrialBrowse pre-built protocol examples for devices like Mettler Toledo scales and Datalogic scanners. Use them as a starting point for your own device.
Browse SamplesStep-by-step video training covering protocol setup, parsing, OPC connectivity, and troubleshooting — from beginner to advanced topics.
Watch TutorialsShare your device documentation and our engineers will evaluate whether OmniServer can communicate with your equipment — at no cost.
Talk to an EngineerI just wanted to say thanks for the great work on our OmniServer project. The end-user was very happy to work with you and happy with the work you accomplished.
The ease and flexibility with which OmniServer provides actionable information to be easily integrated into existing SCADA host systems is extremely valuable to our users in industries where downtime can be extremely expensive.
Your support team has been EXTREMELY helpful — some of the best technical assistance that I have ever received. Thanks for the knowledge sharing and this great protocol!
OmniServer specialists on staff — not generalists. 1 year S&M included with every license.
View coverageConnecting industrial systems since 1995 across manufacturing, energy, food & beverage, and process industries.
About usReach our engineers directly for configuration help, troubleshooting, or protocol guidance — not a third-party helpdesk.
Talk to an engineerOmniServer is a customizable OPC server from Software Toolbox that lets you connect industrial devices that use proprietary, legacy, or non-standard communication protocols to SCADA, HMI, historian, and enterprise software. Instead of writing custom driver code, engineers use OmniServer's visual configuration tools to define how their device communicates and what data to expose. The resulting data is made available through standard industrial interfaces including OPC UA, OPC DA (versions 1.0a, 2.0, and 2.05), FastDDE, and Wonderware SuiteLink. OmniServer is available in three editions: Wedge Edition (keyboard-wedge capture), Server Edition (full OPC connectivity), and Professional Edition (OPC + MQTT + data logging + advanced plugins).
OmniServer works with devices that communicate over RS-232, RS-485, TCP/IP, or UDP using a documented, fixed message format. If your device has a communication specification or user manual that describes its output messages, OmniServer is likely a strong fit. Common compatible device types include:
OmniServer does not automatically discover or reverse-engineer unknown protocols — the device's own communication documentation is required. The best way to confirm compatibility is to speak with one of our engineers or download the free trial and test your device directly.
OmniServer supports both serial and network communication interfaces:
Within those interfaces, OmniServer supports:
The specific message format for each device is defined using OmniServer's visual protocol builder based on the device's communication specification. Multiple connection types can run simultaneously from a single OmniServer instance. Ethernet connections require a Windows-supported network adapter.
Yes. OmniServer includes sample protocol configurations for devices like Mettler Toledo SICS weighing instruments and Datalogic barcode scanners, which you can use as a starting point and adapt to your specific model and firmware version. Once configured, scale weights, scan codes, status flags, or any other device output are available as live OPC UA data items (tags) that SCADA, HMI, historian, or other OPC UA client applications can read. OmniServer Server Edition and Professional Edition both include OPC UA (DA Profile) output. The same data can also be exposed simultaneously through OPC DA 1.0a, 2.0, or 2.05, FastDDE, or Wonderware SuiteLink for legacy integrations.
No. OmniServer is designed to be configured without writing code. Engineers define device communications, message structures, parsing rules, and OPC tag mappings using a graphical protocol builder. Built-in configuration wizards guide you through the setup process, and testing tools allow you to validate communication and parsing before connecting live devices. Some familiarity with your device's communication documentation is required — you need to understand what messages your device sends and how they are formatted — but no driver development, scripting, or software programming is needed.
To configure OmniServer for a specific device, you need the device's communication specification or user manual — specifically the sections that describe how the device formats its output messages and what communication interface and settings it uses. For serial devices, this includes baud rate, parity, stop bits, and flow control. For network devices, this includes IP address, port, and protocol type (TCP or UDP). The message format section should describe what the device sends: the start and end characters or bytes, the structure of the message, where individual values appear, and any checksum or validation fields. OmniServer's protocol builder uses this information to define how to parse messages and extract individual values as OPC data items. If the device documentation is unavailable or incomplete, our technical team can assist with protocol analysis.
Yes. A full-functionality free trial is available from the OmniServer download page. The single installer covers all three OmniServer editions (Wedge, Server, and Professional). You can configure your device protocol and validate connectivity before committing to a purchase.
All OmniServer editions use a perpetual licensing model — you purchase the software once and own that version indefinitely. Each license includes the first year of Support & Maintenance, which covers access to product updates, new version releases, and technical support from our engineering team. Annual renewal is required to continue receiving updates and support after the first year.
The difference between editions: the Server Edition includes OPC UA, OPC DA, FastDDE, and Wonderware SuiteLink output plus Windows service operation. The Professional Edition adds MQTT publishing, data logging, email notifications, and access to advanced plugins. The Wedge Edition is a lower-cost option for basic keyboard-wedge data capture without OPC connectivity.
OmniServer is designed for devices that use documented proprietary or non-standard protocols. Engineers can use the device manufacturer's communication manual to define messages, framing, parsing, polling, and data items in the visual configuration tools. OmniServer does not automatically discover or reverse-engineer an unknown communication format; if the protocol documentation is incomplete, request a protocol evaluation before implementation.
Yes, when the device's documented protocol supports bidirectional communication. OmniServer can send device-specific commands or polling requests, then receive and interpret the response. For example, an HMI can send a label-printing command through OmniServer to a compatible industrial printer, or OmniServer can request a current measurement from a weighing instrument.
Yes. Multiple device connections and protocol configurations can operate from one OmniServer installation, and individual connections can be configured independently. The available client interfaces and advanced plug-ins depend on the licensed edition.
A traditional OPC server usually provides prebuilt drivers for a defined list of standard device protocols. OmniServer instead gives engineers visual tools to configure communication for a documented custom, proprietary, or modified protocol and then expose the resulting device data through supported industrial interfaces. It complements rather than replaces OPC servers that already have an appropriate prebuilt driver.
Yes. OmniServer can communicate with compatible RS-232 or RS-485 equipment using its documented ASCII or binary message format, extract individual values, and make those values available as OPC UA data items in the Server and Professional editions. A compatible OPC UA client can then use the legacy device data without changing the device itself.
Try OmniServer with your device, or send us your protocol documentation and let our team help you evaluate your options.
