Summary: This article describes how to access a cnMatrix Switch via the Console port.
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Firstly, you will need a console cable. This needs to be a USB to RJ45 connection to work on modern computers.
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Once plugged in via USB to your computer and the RJ45 connector in to the Console port on the Switch, you will need to find what COM interface your computer is using. In this example, I am using a Windows 10 PC. I open a Windows Explorer window, right click on This PC and select Manage to open Computer Management window.
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Once open, select Device Manager from the left menu, expand Ports (COM & LPT). Once expanded, if your cable is recognised by your computer, you will see it in the list of devices. In my example, the COM4 option is the cable I am using but it may differ on your own computer. We are looking for the COM number to be able to communicate via the cable.
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Now that I have the COM number, I will open PuTTy to connect to the Switch. From here, I select the Serial option, enter in the COM number and enter the Speed(Baud Rate) as 115200. Now click Open to connect to the Switch
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Press Enter once to bring up the login prompt if it doesn’t appear. If prompted by the login, you have been successful in connecting to the Switch. If it doesn’t connect, you may have the wrong COM number.
