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 — it's valid for 15 minutes.
2In the pairing window on the lab PC, enter your Labgen address — the same web address you open in the browser (for example https://your-lab.labsoft.app) — and the 6-digit code.
3Wait for the confirmation: ✅ Paired as "your device name".
4Restart the service so it starts using the pairing: press the Windows key, type services.msc, press Enter, find LabSoft Bridge Agent in the list, right-click it and choose Restart.

If you closed the pairing window

No problem — you can pair from the terminal at any time. Open Command Prompt (Windows key, type cmd, Enter) and run:

bat

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

It will ask for your Labgen address and the code. You can also pass both in one line:

bat

labsoft-bridge-agent.exe pair https://your-lab.labsoft.app 482913

Code expired?

Pairing codes last 15 minutes. If yours expired, just click Regenerate in Labgen and run the pairing again — nothing is lost.

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 serial port), then tell the agent which port to listen on: open the file C:\Program Files\LabSoft Bridge Agent\.env in Notepad and set:

ini

ASTM_SERIAL_PORT=COM3
ASTM_BAUD_RATE=9600

You can see which COM number Windows gave the cable in Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT). Restart the LabSoft Bridge Agent service after saving (services.msc → right-click → Restart).

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.

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.
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. No reinstalling.
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	The service isn't running. Open `services.msc`, find LabSoft Bridge Agent, and check it says Running — if not, right-click → Start. It also restarts itself automatically if it crashes.
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 number or baud rate — confirm in Device Manager, update the `.env`, and restart the service.

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.