Kramer Switcher RS-232 Commands: Protocol 2000 and Protocol 3000 Guide
Kramer switchers use two completely different RS-232 protocols depending on generation — Protocol 2000 (binary HEX, older) and Protocol 3000 (ASCII, newer). Using the wrong protocol results in no response.
How to Tell Which Protocol Your Device Uses
Protocol 3000 (ASCII): Used on most Kramer products from ~2010 onwards. The manual shows commands like ROUTE, INFO, or MODEL. Baud rate is typically 115200.
Protocol 2000 (HEX): Used on older matrix switchers. The manual shows HEX byte tables. Baud rate is typically 9600.
Protocol 3000 — Serial Port Settings
| Parameter | Value |
| Baud Rate | **115200** |
| Data Bits | 8 |
| Parity | None |
| Stop Bits | 1 |
| Terminator | CR (0x0D) |
Protocol 3000 — Commands
| Function | Command |
| Route Input 1 to Output 1 (video) | `#ROUTE 1,1,1 + CR` |
| Route Input 2 to Output 3 (video) | `#ROUTE 1,3,2 + CR` |
| Query routing | `#ROUTE? 1,1 + CR` |
| Device info | `#INFO + CR` |
| Lock front panel | `#LOCK-FP 1 + CR` |
Format: #ROUTE Layer,Output,Input where Layer 1 = video, Layer 2 = audio.
Protocol 2000 — Serial Port Settings
| Parameter | Value |
| Baud Rate | 9600 |
| Data Bits | 8 |
| Parity | None |
| Stop Bits | 1 |
Protocol 2000 — Commands (HEX)
| Function | HEX Bytes |
| Route Video In1 to Out1 | `01 01 01 81` |
| Route Video In2 to Out3 | `01 02 03 81` |
| Route Video In1 to All | `01 01 00 81` |
Crestron SIMPL+ — Protocol 3000
```
STRING_PARAMETER SP_Route_1_1[14] = "#ROUTE 1,1,1\x0D";
STRING_PARAMETER SP_Route_2_1[14] = "#ROUTE 1,1,2\x0D";
STRING_PARAMETER SP_Info[8] = "#INFO \x0D";
DIGITAL_INPUT Input1, Input2;
STRING_OUTPUT TX$;
PUSH Input1 { TX$ = SP_Route_1_1; }
PUSH Input2 { TX$ = SP_Route_2_1; }
```
Set COM port to 115200 baud for Protocol 3000.
Common Mistakes
- ▸Wrong baud rate — Protocol 3000 uses 115200, not 9600. This is the most common mistake
- ▸Wrong protocol for device — check the manual before writing code
- ▸Missing layer parameter in ROUTE command — Layer 1 = video, Layer 2 = audio
Related Guides
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- ▸[Kramer Switcher RS-232 Commands — Protocol 2000 & 3000]- Crestron SIMPL+ Serial Control Guide
- ▸Biamp Tesira RS-232 and Telnet Control
- ▸QSC Q-SYS External Control Protocol
- ▸AMX NetLinx Serial Control Guide
- ▸RS-232 vs IP Control in Commercial AV
- ▸Crestron vs AMX vs Extron: Control System Comparison
Free RS-232 Tools
Baud rate reference, device settings table, terminator guide, and DB9 pinout — all free, no signup required.
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