Establish a HyperTerminal Connection with a Device

Microsoft's HyperTerminal is one of the most commonly used terminal emulator programs. This document explains how to set up a connection with it.

Step 1 Connect the black RJ-45 console serial cable from your terminal.

Step 2 Connect the other end of the console cable to the modem or router. See Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Figure 1 PC to Router Connection

Figure 2 PC to Modem connection

Step 3 On the Windows Start menu, select Run.... The Run dialog appears.

Figure 3: The Windows Run Dialog

Step 4 In the Open: field, type hypertrm.exe, and click OK. The HyperTerminal splash screen appears while HyperTerminal loads.

See it Done!

Figure 4: HyperTerminal Splash Screen

HyperTerminal then appears, open to the Connection Description dialog.

Figure 5: HyperTerminal Connection Description dialog

Step 5 On the Connection Description screen, for Name type "Cisco" and select an icon for the definition, and click OK. The Connect To dialog appears.

Figure 6: HyperTerminal Connect To dialog

Step 6 On the Connect To dialog, select your primary COM port (COM2 in the example above) for the Connect using: field, and click OK. (The Country/region:, Area code: and Phone number: fields are not used.) The COMn Properties dialog appears.

Figure 7: HyperTerminal COMn Properties dialog

Step 7 On the COMn Properties dialog, make the following selections, then click OK:

Bits per sec: 9600
Data bits: 8
Parity: none
Stop bits: 1
Flow control: none

Note The settings in the Hyper Terminal need to be set correctly; otherwise, strange-looking or garbage characters may show up on the screen. If you are experiencing problems, make sure the router or modem is powered on, you are attached to the proper Com Port and verify your cabling is working.

Without these correct settings, a Cisco router may display information, but does not accept any keystrokes, making it appear as if it is hung, or has crashed. If the default settings do not produce better results, your router may have been configured to use non-standard settings. To verify, try to connect at different speeds until you get a valid prompt.

Step 8 To prove you have a valid connection to a modem, type "AT" and you should receive "OK" back from the modem. For a router, hit the enter key and you should see the router prompt.

You should now be communicating with the router or Modem.