Connect your instruments
Machine interfacing (bridge agent)
Connect a lab analyzer so results flow automatically into Labgen.
Machine interfacing connects your analyzer directly to Labgen, so results land in the right patient's report the moment the instrument finishes a run — no retyping, no transcription errors. A small program called the bridge agent runs on the PC next to your analyzer and forwards results securely to the cloud.
It won't disrupt your current setup
Installing and pairing the bridge agent does not affect any existing software on the lab PC. Your current setup keeps running unchanged. The only step that switches the connection is when you deliberately point the analyzer's output to the bridge agent — and that's entirely in your hands.
Supported analyzers
Labgen ships with built-in support for the most common hematology and chemistry analyzers. When you add a device you can pick your model from a list, which fills in the right settings automatically.
| Vendor | Models | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Sysmex | XN-series (XN-350, XN-550, XN-1000), XS-series, KX-21 | ASTM E1394 |
| Mindray | BC-3000, BC-5000, BC-6800 | ASTM E1394 |
| Beckman Coulter | DxH, AU-series | HL7 v2.x |
| Roche | cobas c111 / c311 / e411 | HL7 v2.x |
| Other | Most instruments speaking ASTM or HL7 | Manual entry |
Don't see your model?
Choose Other / manual when adding the device and enter the vendor, model, and protocol yourself. Most analyzers speak either ASTM E1394 or HL7 v2.x, both of which Labgen understands.
Setup in three steps
Want the full walkthrough?
This page is the overview. For a detailed, command-by-command install guide — including the exact terminal commands, analyzer settings, and troubleshooting — follow the Analyzer setup, step by step guide.
Open Machine Interfacing from the dashboard and choose Add Device. Pick your analyzer (or enter it manually) and give it a name. You'll then see a three-step setup panel.
Step 1 — Download the bridge agent
On the PC connected to your analyzer, download the Windows installer and run it. It installs the bridge agent as a background Windows service, so it starts automatically with the PC and keeps running quietly.
Step 2 — Pair this device
Back in Labgen, click Generate pairing code. You'll get a 6-digit code that's valid for 15 minutes. On the lab PC, run the agent's pairing command, enter your Labgen address and the code, and the agent links itself to this device with its own secure token — no secrets to copy by hand.
Point the analyzer at this PC
On the analyzer itself, set its result output to this PC's IP address on port 5556 for ASTM instruments (or 5555 for HL7), or connect a serial cable for older RS-232 machines. This is the step that switches results over to Labgen — do it when you're ready.
Step 3 — Test the connection
With the agent running, click Start test in Labgen and run one sample (or a QC control) on the analyzer. The moment a result arrives, Labgen confirms it on screen with the test name and parameter count — proof the whole chain works end to end.
How results reach a patient
Each result carries the sample ID (barcode) the analyzer was given. Labgen matches that to the patient's ordered test, so values drop into the correct report automatically. Parameter names are normalised per vendor — so a Sysmex differential and a Mindray differential both map to the same fields in your report. The barcode can be one Labgen printed or a pre-printed sticker you scanned in — see Specimen barcodes & scanners.
Staying online & updates
- If the internet briefly drops, the agent queues results locally and sends them once the connection returns — nothing is lost.
- The agent updates itself automatically when a new version is published, so you don't have to reinstall.
- The device's online/offline status is shown in Labgen, with the time it was last seen.
One agent, many machines
A lab with several analyzers can run a single bridge agent on one PC. ASTM instruments send to port 5556 and HL7 instruments to port 5555 — the agent sorts out the rest.