How to Obtain a List of Available COM Ports using PowerShell

Obtaining List of Available COM Ports using PowerShell

In this article, we will focus on how to obtain a list of available COM ports on a Windows machine using PowerShell. This is a common task for those working with serial devices and wanting to automate the process of finding available ports.

Introduction to COM Ports

COM (Communication) ports are used for communication between a computer and external devices. These ports are commonly used for serial communication, such as connecting to a modem, printer, or other peripherals. In Windows, COM ports are identified by numbers, starting from COM1.

Using PowerShell to Obtain a List of COM Ports

PowerShell is a powerful command-line tool that allows you to automate tasks on Windows machines. To obtain a list of available COM ports, you can use the Get-PnpDevice cmdlet. This cmdlet retrieves information about all Plug and Play devices on the system, including COM ports.

The above code retrieves a list of all Plug and Play devices, filters the list to only include those with "Communications" in the FriendlyName, and then selects the FriendlyName and DeviceID properties for each device. The FriendlyName property contains the name of the device, and the DeviceID property contains the unique identifier for the device. The result is a list of available COM ports on the system, along with their FriendlyName and DeviceID.

Obtaining a list of available COM ports on a Windows machine using PowerShell is a simple and effective way to automate this task. By using the Get-PnpDevice cmdlet, you can retrieve information about all Plug and Play devices on the system, including COM ports, and filter the list to only include those that are relevant. This information can then be used for further automation or to troubleshoot issues with serial devices.

References

• Type: Article
  Title: "How to Use PowerShell to Find Available COM Ports"
  URL: https://www.howtogeek.com/117790/how-to-use-powershell-to-find-available-com-ports/
• Type: Article
  Title: "Listing COM Ports with PowerShell"
  URL: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/b/6a832d6d-868d-422b-8c8c-a780b85e2d5c/listing-com-ports-with-powershell?forum=ITCG

Note: This article is intended to provide a focused and detailed explanation of the topic at hand. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to PowerShell or COM ports, but rather a starting point for those looking to learn more about this specific use case.