TCP COM Bridge vs tcp2com: when the free tool is enough
Both programs put a serial port on a TCP/IP network. tcp2com is free and does one thing. TCP COM Bridge is a commercial program with virtual COM ports, several connection types and current updates. We make TCP COM Bridge, so read this page as the vendor's view; the facts about tcp2com come from its own project pages, checked on 17 September 2026.
What tcp2com is
The project describes itself this way: "tcp2com creates a bridge between a TCP socket and a serial port (COM). The program runs as a service under Windows NT. With tcp2com, you can telnet into any device you may have plugged into your COM port." It is written in C, published under the GNU GPL version 2, and distributed as a 29 KB archive. The latest file is version 1.0.0, and the project was last updated on 8 April 2013. Home page: tcp2com.sourceforge.net.
Side by side
| TCP COM Bridge | tcp2com | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and licence | Commercial, Standard and Professional editions, free trial | Free, open source (GPL v2) |
| Real COM port to a TCP socket | Yes, as TCP server or TCP client | Yes |
| Virtual COM ports for programs that can open only a COM port | Yes | Not mentioned by the project |
| Runs as a Windows service | Yes (Professional edition) | Yes |
| UDP | Yes (Professional edition) | Not mentioned by the project |
| Splitting and sharing one COM port | Yes | Not mentioned by the project |
| Keep-alive check, reconnect, data buffering | Yes (keep-alive packets: Professional edition) | Not mentioned by the project |
| Number of ports | Up to 255 COM ports on one computer; 2 connections in the Standard edition, no connection limit in the Professional edition | Not stated |
| RFC 2217 | No | Not mentioned by the project |
| Latest release | 1.8.3 build 515 | 1.0.0; project last updated in April 2013 |
When tcp2com is enough
- You need one real COM port on a Windows machine to be reachable from a telnet or raw TCP client.
- The program on the other side can open a TCP connection itself, so no virtual COM port is needed.
- You are comfortable with an open-source tool that has not been updated since 2013 and has no vendor support.
When TCP COM Bridge fits better
- The application on the other computer knows only COM ports. It needs a virtual COM port that leads to the network.
- Several programs or several computers must use one device: see splitting and sharing.
- You run many ports on one machine and want to set them up in dialogs, copy configurations and watch byte counters for each connection.
- The link must recover by itself: keep-alive checks, reconnecting, and buffering of serial data while the network is down.
- You need UDP, or a program that is tested on current Windows versions and still updated.
See also
Install TCP COM Bridge: setup, driver, first connection
Serial port splitter: one COM port for two or more programs
Serial device server: many COM ports on one Windows PC
Share a COM port over the network
COM port redirector: a virtual COM port to a TCP/IP address
Redirect COM ports to a terminal Windows server
Serial over Ethernet: how it works
Connect two COM ports on the same computer
Printing on one receipt, POS or fiscal printer from two computers
Fix slow receipt printing from remote accounting software
Serial to TCP/IP converter software
Best serial over Ethernet tools by situation
TCP COM Bridge vs tcp2com: when the free tool is enough
TCP COM Bridge troubleshooting
Related topics: TCP COM Bridge
hereSerial over Ethernet | Serial to TCP/IP converter | COM port redirector | Serial port splitter | COM port sharing | Serial device server | Serial port monitor | RS232 pinout and signals | Virtual Null Modem | COM Port Emulation