Connect your instruments

Analyzer setup — step by step

Install the bridge agent, pair it, and get your first result flowing — command by command.

This is the hands-on guide to connecting an analyzer. Follow it in order on the lab PC and you'll go from nothing installed to a live result on screen in about 15 minutes. No technical background needed — every command you have to type is written out exactly.

What you need before starting

A Windows PC near the analyzer, switched on all day (the same PC your current software runs on is fine — nothing about your existing setup is touched).
The analyzer connected to the same network as that PC, or by serial cable for older RS-232 machines.
A Labgen login with access to the Machine Interfacing screen.
Access to the analyzer's host / LIS output settings — usually in its service or settings menu. If your service engineer normally handles this, have them on call for step 5.

Step 1 — Add the device in Labgen

1In Labgen, open Machine Interfacing from the dashboard.
2Click Add Device.
3Pick your analyzer's vendor and model from the list (or choose Other / manual and type it in), give it a name like "Main lab XN-350", and save.

The device now appears with a three-step setup panel — the rest of this guide walks through those steps in detail.

Step 2 — Install the bridge agent on the lab PC

1On the lab PC (not your own laptop), log in to Labgen, open your device's setup panel, and click Download for Windows.
2Run the downloaded labsoft-bridge-agent-setup.exe and click through the installer.
3If Windows asks for permission or shows a firewall prompt, choose Allow — the agent needs to receive data from the analyzer over the local network.
4On the installer's last screen, leave "Pair this analyzer with LabSoft now" ticked — it opens the pairing window for the next step.

The installer puts the agent in C:\Program Files\LabSoft Bridge Agent and registers it as a Windows service called "LabSoft Bridge Agent". A service starts by itself whenever the PC boots and keeps running in the background — nobody has to remember to open a program in the morning.

Step 3 — Pair the agent with your lab

Pairing links the agent on the lab PC to this exact device in your Labgen account, using a one-time code — no passwords or keys to copy around.

1In Labgen, on the device's setup panel, click Generate pairing code. A 6-digit code appears.
2On the lab PC, open LabGen Bridge — the installer leaves it in the Start Menu, and it opens by itself when the install finishes.
3Type the six digits into the box and press Connect.

That's the whole step. The page turns green and says Connected to Labgen as "your device name". There is no address to enter — there is one for every lab, and the agent already knows it. There is nothing to restart either: the agent picks the pairing up straight away.

Code expired?

Pairing codes last a few minutes. If yours has expired the page says so — click Regenerate in Labgen and type the new one. Nothing is lost, and you can try as many times as you need.

Pairing from the command line

Only needed for scripted installs or if support asks. Open Command Prompt and run:

bat

"C:\Program Files\LabSoft Bridge Agent\labsoft-bridge-agent.exe" pair 482913

Replace the digits with your own code.

Step 4 — Find the lab PC's address

The analyzer needs to know where to send results: the lab PC's IP address. In Command Prompt on the lab PC, run:

bat

ipconfig

Look for IPv4 Address — something like 192.168.1.50. Write it down for the next step.

Keep the address stable

Ask whoever manages your network router to reserve this PC's IP address (a "static" or "DHCP reserved" address). Otherwise the address can change after a power cut and the analyzer would be sending results to nowhere.

Step 5 — Point the analyzer at the PC

This is the only step that touches the analyzer, and the only one that changes where results go — everything before it was preparation. In the analyzer's host / LIS communication settings, set:

Setting on the analyzer	Value
Host / LIS IP address	The lab PC's IPv4 address from step 4
Port — ASTM instruments (most Sysmex, Mindray, Horiba)	5556
Port — HL7 instruments (Beckman DxH, Roche cobas, and similar)	5555
Older serial (RS-232) machines	Connect the serial cable to the PC instead — see below
Protocol / mode	ASTM E1394 or HL7 v2.x, matching the port

Not sure which protocol your machine speaks? The model list when you added the device already told Labgen — the setup panel shows the right port for your analyzer. When in doubt, your analyzer's service engineer will know it immediately.

Serial (RS-232) machines

The oldest analyzers connect with a serial cable instead of the network. Plug the cable into the PC — using a USB-to-serial adapter if the PC has no 9-pin socket — then open LabGen Bridge from the Start Menu.

1Under Serial (RS-232) analyzers you'll see every port on the PC, with the same names Windows shows in Device Manager — usually something like "USB Serial Port (COM3)".
2Pick the baud rate the analyzer's own settings menu shows. 9600 is the usual one, and it has to match: the wrong rate produces bytes that look like nonsense rather than no data at all.
3Click Use this port.

It takes effect immediately and is remembered, so a restart or an upgrade doesn't undo it. If the port can't be opened — something else is using it, or the adapter was unplugged — the page says so instead of failing quietly.

Not sure which port?

Pick one and run a sample. If nothing appears, come back and try the next. The list only shows ports this PC actually has, so there are rarely more than two or three to try.

Step 6 — Test the connection

1In Labgen, on the device's setup panel, click Start test.
2On the analyzer, run one sample — a QC control is perfect.
3Watch Labgen: the moment the result arrives, the panel turns green and shows the test name and how many parameters came through.

That green confirmation proves the whole chain — analyzer → agent → cloud → your screen — is working. The device now shows as Online in Machine Interfacing, with a "last seen" time that updates as results flow.

You're done

From now on, every sample the analyzer runs lands in the matching patient's report automatically, keyed by the tube's barcode. Print barcodes from Labgen — or scan your own pre-printed stickers into the entry (see Specimen barcodes & scanners) — stick them on the tubes, and results file themselves.

When nothing arrives: the connection tester

A test that never turns green leaves three very different problems looking identical: another program is holding the port, the analyzer is pointed somewhere else, or the data is arriving but in a format we can't read. The connection tester tells them apart by showing the raw data exactly as the machine sends it — including data nothing can parse, which is the case you most need to see. Full detail is in the Connection tester guide; the short version follows.

1Open Machine Interfacing → Diagnostics in Labgen.
2Pick the analyzer, check the port, and click Start listening.
3Run one sample. The raw data appears on the left and the values it understood on the right.

Nothing to install or configure — the tester ships with the agent — and nobody has to be at the lab PC. Nothing it shows is stored anywhere: it is a live view, not a record.

What the tester shows	What it means
"Port is already in use"	Another program owns that port and is receiving your analyzer's data instead of Labgen. Close it — a vendor tool or an older tester is the usual culprit — and start again.
Nothing at all after running a sample	The analyzer isn't reaching this PC. Wrong IP or port on the machine, or a firewall in between.
Raw data appears, values on the right too	Everything works. If Labgen still shows nothing, the problem is downstream — check the Unmatched list.
Raw data appears but "No parser recognised this message"	The cable and port are right and the machine is talking — we just can't read its format yet. Send that raw text to support; it's exactly what's needed to add the machine.

Day-to-day: how to know it's healthy

Online / offline badge — Machine Interfacing shows each device's status and when it last sent data. The agent checks in every 30 seconds whether or not samples are running, so a device reads Online because the link is alive, not because it happened to send a result recently. An agent that stops is shown offline within about a minute.
Internet drops are safe — the agent stores results on the lab PC and forwards them automatically when the connection returns. Nothing is lost.
Updates are automatic — the agent upgrades itself when a new version is published, and the service restarts on its own. Nothing to reinstall. (One exception: agents installed before version 2.5.0 need that one installed by hand from the Download for Windows button — a bug in the older updater stopped it running the installer unattended. Every update after that is automatic again.)
Unmatched results — if a result arrives whose barcode doesn't match any patient (a hand-labelled tube, for example), it waits in the Unmatched list where a technician can assign it to the right patient in two clicks.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
Pairing fails with "Could not reach"	The Labgen address is mistyped, or the PC has no internet. Open the same address in the PC's browser — if it doesn't load there, fix the internet first.
Pairing fails with an error about the code	The code expired (15 minutes) or was mistyped. Click Regenerate in Labgen and try again.
Device stays offline after setup	Open LabGen Bridge on the lab PC. If it says this PC isn't connected, pair it again with a fresh code. If it says nothing at all, the service isn't running: open `services.msc`, find LabSoft Bridge Agent, and right-click → Start.
It was working, now it says offline	Usually the device was paired again somewhere else, which retires the old link. Open LabGen Bridge and pair this PC with a new code — no restart needed.
Test result never arrives	Wrong IP or port on the analyzer (re-check step 5), or Windows Firewall blocked the agent — allow the app in firewall settings, or ask IT to open inbound ports 5555/5556 on the lab PC.
Results arrive but land in Unmatched	The barcode on the tube isn't registered to that patient. Use Labgen-printed barcodes — or scan the pre-printed sticker into the entry first (Specimen Barcodes → Scan) — and assign the waiting result to the right patient from the Unmatched list.
Serial machine sends nothing	Wrong COM port or baud rate. Open LabGen Bridge, try another port from the list, and check the baud rate against the analyzer's own settings menu — a mismatch gives you nonsense bytes rather than silence.

Two-way mode (order download)

Modern setups can go beyond receiving results. If your analyzer supports host query, it asks Labgen what to run whenever it scans a tube — and Labgen answers with the ordered tests, the patient's age and sex, and urgency. The analyzer then runs exactly what was ordered instead of a default panel.

On by default, safe by design

Two-way mode is built into the agent and switched on. If your analyzer doesn't use host query, nothing changes — it simply runs as before. Enabling host query on the analyzer is model-specific, so have your service engineer switch it on when you're ready, and results-only operation continues untouched either way.

Advanced: running from source

Teams comfortable with a terminal can run the agent without the installer — useful on non-Windows PCs or for testing. Copy the bridge-agent/ folder to the machine, then:

bash

npm install
npm run pair    # enter your Labgen address + pairing code
npm start

The agent prints a startup banner showing its ports, pairing status, and queue — handy for watching results arrive live while you set the analyzer up.

Still stuck? The Machine interfacing overview explains how the pieces fit together, and your account team is happy to join a call while your service engineer configures the analyzer.