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Vertex: Why the Call Log Stops in Serial Port Mode

Short answer: When Vertex Configuration Tool (VCT) is set to Data Output: Serial Port, the normal network call-record view is not the right place to look. Monitor > Call Records is the UDP/network view; Monitor > Serial Data is the view for the serial output. A blank Call Records view in Serial Port mode is therefore not, by itself, proof that the cable is missing, that caller ID was not captured, or that the POS failed to receive it.

What you should expect

  • Monitor > Call Records displays the network/UDP call-record history.
  • Monitor > Serial Data displays the serial-port output when Data Output: Serial Port is selected.
  • If Call Records is blank after selecting Serial Port, use Serial Data instead. If Serial Data is grayed out, select DataOutput: SerialPort in VCT first. Neither screen state, by itself, establishes a cable, caller-ID, or POS-delivery diagnosis.

I will treat the serial result as unknown until we can observe the output in Serial Data during the approved check.

Before you change anything

Please coordinate the interruption with your site first. Changing the Vertex output or stopping the POS receiver can interrupt caller-ID delivery. Arrange an approved test window, identify the PC or server where the physical serial cable is connected, and confirm which application normally owns that COM port. Do not disconnect a production cable or stop a receiver without that approval.

  1. Locate the physical serial cable and note the PC/server to which it is connected. For this VCT check, the cable must be connected to the same test PC running VCT; a cable attached to another computer cannot appear in that VCT session. If you need to move the cable, include that change in the approved interruption plan.
  2. In VCT, confirm Data Output: Serial Port, then open Monitor > Serial Data. If Serial Data is grayed out, select DataOutput: SerialPort first. Do not use the UDP Call Records screen to judge serial output.
  3. If the Profitek POS receiver normally owns the COM port, stop the Profitek receiver for the approved test window. Close any other application that owns the port and confirm that it is free before scanning it. Please coordinate this interruption before you start.
  4. Use Tools > Port Scan and, if needed, Windows Device Manager to identify the connected COM port. If you moved a USB adapter, please recheck the port number; Windows may have assigned a different one.
  5. I will compare the baud rate and other serial settings with the requirements for your Vertex/POS combination before changing them. A detected COM port alone does not confirm that the settings match.
  6. Once the setup is ready, please place a new inbound call while we observe Monitor > Serial Data. I will check whether output is absent, readable, or present as garbled bytes.
  7. When the check is complete, close VCT entirely so it releases the COM port. Do this before restarting the POS receiver and before placing a new inbound call. Do not leave VCT open in the background.
  8. Before restarting the POS receiver, restore the original physical cable connection and the normal operating output. If restoring the output requires reopening VCT, close VCT entirely again so it has released the COM port. Only then restart the POS receiver and place a fresh inbound test call.

Use the observed result to choose the next check

  • Call Records is blank while Serial Port is selected: open Serial Data. This is a mode/view distinction, not proof of a missing cable or failed caller-ID capture.
  • Serial Data is grayed out: select DataOutput: SerialPort in VCT, then check Serial Data again.
  • Serial Data is empty: recheck that the physical cable is connected to the same VCT test PC, that Port Scan/Device Manager shows the expected COM port, and that no other application owns it. If a USB-to-serial adapter is in use, also check its driver and the COM-port owner. Do not conclude which component failed from an empty view alone.
  • Serial Data contains garbled bytes: treat this as a serial-settings compatibility issue to investigate—such as the vendor-approved baud, framing, or format—not as readable caller ID. Confirm the settings with the Vertex and receiving-POS documentation; do not substitute an assumed value.
  • VCT Serial Data is readable but the POS is blank: investigate the receiver’s selected COM port, its serial driver, and the caller-ID data format it accepts. A readable VCT display does not prove that the POS receiver is configured to consume the same stream.
  • The central POS log contains the number but workstations are blank: investigate POS distribution and workstation popup settings rather than the Vertex cable first. The central record and the workstation display are separate parts of the path.
  • No output is visible in Serial Data: I will not call the serial check successful based only on the Call Records screen or a COM-port listing; we need to continue with the relevant cable, driver, ownership, and settings checks above.

What the available Profitek record does—and does not—confirm

Our compatibility reference lists Profitek for serial delivery at the start of a call. Please check that your setup is not configured for end-of-call delivery only. The reference does not confirm your exact Profitek version, baud rate, framing, caller-ID format, or menu path; the vendor must confirm those details for the installed version.

Compatibility note

Vertex serial output and a POS receiver are compatible only when the physical connection, COM-port driver, port ownership, serial settings, and receiving format all match. If a USB-to-serial adapter is present, its driver and assigned COM port are part of that compatibility check. The official manual describes the Vertex controls; it does not replace the POS vendor’s confirmation of its supported serial settings. I will use the observed result to narrow the fault rather than name a failed cable, driver, receiver, or caller-ID service without evidence.

Source

CallerID.com Vertex Manual V2, official manual, printed pages 29–31 and 13–14. Please also confirm serial compatibility and settings with the applicable POS/vendor documentation for your installed equipment.

Download the Vertex serial-port technical brief (PDF)