node.js and Serial ports

Question

I'm trying to build a simple web app that reads the clients' serial port that is connected to a barcode scanner. I have done this using ActiveX but it only works on IE browsers, i have heard that I can now do this using node.js and serial-node. Can someone tell me if this is even possible using these two technologies? Also if anyone can direct me to a working tutorial on how to do this. Thanks!

Answer 1

You can't read the serial port of the web app's client's computer using serial-node, no. Node.js and serial-node run server side, they do not have direct access to the web clients' hardware.