How to use IrDA adapter as serial port?

Question

I remember back in windows 98 era that you could install IrDA adapter and associate serial port with it so it would work just like rs-232 to infra-red adapter.

Is such thing possible on windows 7? Is there any third-party program which could to that? I need to access a device with serial infra red port. The driver expects total to control host's IrDA port as if it was serial.

Answer 1

Windows 7 doesn't seem to support infra-red very well.
In your case the problem is doubled because the 64-bits mean you can't use older drivers.

However, if you still have around an available XP/Vista driver that does what you want, it might still work in XP Mode (which works in 32-bits).

See if the following article helps in XP Mode :
How to configure your computer for infrared communication in Windows XP

If this advice doesn't work for you, it would help to know how do you connect the irDA adapter (USB?), and whether it is recognized by Win7, or if Device Manager can find it a driver in either normal or XP modes. Also, what was the last computer/Windows-version on which the device used to work, and whether you still have the installation media.

These products might help :

Serial Port Mapper
Map any serial ports to virtual serial port.

Virtual COM Port Drivers
Cause the USB device to appear as an additional COM port.

If you manage to advance a bit, the following article might also help :
How to Set a COM Port for an Infrared Adaptor.

Some people have solved the problem hardware-wise by buying Polar adapters.
The thread Drivers for USB on windows 7 says :

Polar IR Interface for USB port
Polar IR interface for USB (white) is supported for Windows 98, Me, 2000 and XP. It is not supported for Windows Vista and 7. Some tests indicate, however, that Polar IR interface for USB drivers can be installed to Windows Vista and 7 running on a 32-bit hardware. The infrared will not install on a 64-bit Vista/7 because the drivers are not digitally signed.

Polar IR Interface (RS232 port)
Polar IR Interface (black for RS232 port) is not supported for Windows Vista and 7. In our tests, however, Polar IR Interface has worked well on both 32- and 64-bit Windows Vista and 7. As this is an RS232 device no drivers are needed. The system takes care of communication.

In case there is no serial port on the computer and you want to connect the device to the USB port, you need a third-party serial-to-USB adapter with Windows Vista/7 support. Polar does not offer such an adapter.

Polar IrDA USB Adapter
Grey
Is supported for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP.

Golden/Black
Polar IrDA USB Adapter is supported for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP 32/64-bit, Vista and 7 32/64-bit. Please make sure you have updated Microsoft Service Pack before installation. Latest drivers are available in here: Polar IrDA USB Adapter Drivers

Answer 2

I use IrCOMM2k on Windows 7 with a Gearmo IrDA USB Adapter. There's nothing special about the Gearmo adapter--it doesn't normally provide a virtual COM port in Windows 7. However, IrCOMM2k provides a virtual COM port and sends the data out the Gearmo adapter.