GPIBEE is developed by us — the makers of USBGPIB, an open-source USB-to-GPIB adapter that has been continuously maintained for over 7 years. That experience — hard-won compatibility fixes across generations of measurement instruments — went directly into GPIBEE's design. GPIBEE is a new development built on those lessons, adding Ethernet with Power over Ethernet, support for multiple simultaneous GPIB instruments, and significantly higher transfer speeds — thanks to a high-speed interface and an efficient GPIB implementation, also due to tristate-capable drivers instead of open-drain mode. At its core, GPIBEE's DNA is built around speaking standard Test & Measurement protocols through standard VISA flows, so it works the way instruments and test software already expect.
GPIBEE
USB & Ethernet to GPIB Adapter · XyphroLabs
Full VISA integration over USB and Ethernet — using open, non-proprietary standard protocols. No proprietary drivers. No proprietary software.
Actively developed and maintained, with technical support directly from the manufacturer.
Developed, assembled & tested in Germany↻ Drag to rotate · Scroll to zoom
Built on 7+ Years of GPIB Experience
PC / Mac / Linux · LabVIEW · MATLAB · Python · VISA · one or multiple PCs at once
480 Mbit USB · 100 Mbit Ethernet · PoE — GPIBee
Up to 15 GPIB instruments — oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies & many more · fast, low-latency control
Works with
Python
PyVISA
GNU Octave
GPIB Toolbox
Linux
GPIB
Linux GPIB
kernel driver
GPIB
MATLAB
MATLAB
Instrument Control
LV
LabVIEW
VXI-11 / VISA
NI
NI-VISA
Auto-discovery
KS
Keysight IO
IO Libraries Suite
R&S
R&S VISA
RsVisa
Virtually any VISA-compatible software works — the list above covers the most common environments. Thanks to its Prologix-compatible and USBTMC protocol modes, GPIBEE is also widely supported by non-VISA software.
MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. LabVIEW and NI-VISA are trademarks of National Instruments. Keysight IO Libraries Suite is a trademark of Keysight Technologies. R&S VISA is a trademark of Rohde & Schwarz. Python is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
What makes GPIBEE different
Advantages of GPIBEE
GPIBEE is designed for engineers and scientists who want reliable GPIB control without the complexity of legacy drivers or dedicated software.
No Driver Headaches
Windows
macOS
Linux
Works straight out of the box — over USB or Ethernet — no driver installation, no GPIB controller cards. Both USB network and standard Ethernet are natively supported by all modern operating systems.
Dual Connectivity
Use GPIBEE over USB High Speed (480 Mbit/s, private USB-Ethernet link) or over standard Ethernet. Switches automatically when an Ethernet cable is plugged in — no reconfiguration needed.
Industry-Standard Protocols
VXI-11, USBTMC, and VISA are the same open standards used by every major instrument vendor. GPIBEE works plug-and-play with LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python/PyVISA, and virtually any VISA-based software — no proprietary drivers or software needed.
Not a Protocol Clone
Some cloned USB-to-GPIB adapters mimic other manufacturer's proprietary protocol without authorization — since that protocol isn't public, the vendors can lock out these unauthorized devices at any time, and compatibility is already inconsistent under any operating system. GPIBEE instead speaks VXI-11, an open protocol built for GPIB and natively understood by VISA, for broad, predictable compatibility.
Built-in Web Interface
A full browser-based console lets you send GPIB commands, monitor status, and change settings without any installed software — works on desktop and mobile alike.
Multiple Protocols
Supports VXI-11 over Ethernet and USB, Prologix-compatible ASCII protocol over TCP/IP and USB UART, USBTMC, and Linux GPIB — covering virtually all test-automation frameworks.
Auto-Discovery
LXI, VXI-11 discovery, mDNS (Bonjour/Avahi), and SSDP broadcast let VISA resource managers find GPIBEE automatically on the network — no manual IP entry required.
Flexible Power Options
Power via USB-C or 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) — no dedicated power cable needed. The Ethernet port is galvanically isolated (including PoE), protecting your instruments and host PC.
Private USB Network
In USB mode, GPIBEE creates its own isolated DHCP-served network. Your instrument traffic stays private and never touches your corporate LAN. VXI-11 runs over this USB connection too, so you still get multiple simultaneous GPIB instruments and concurrent access from more than one application — the same benefits as over Ethernet.
Field-Updatable Firmware
GPIBEE exposes itself as a virtual USB drive — copy the firmware file onto it and the update is done. No special tools, no DFU utilities. Device settings are preserved across updates.
Developed & Made in Germany
Every GPIBEE unit is developed, assembled, and tested in Germany. Firmware and software are actively maintained by the same team that built the hardware. Technical support comes directly from the manufacturer — no reseller in between.
Product Overview
GPIBEE is a compact, modern GPIB bridge that connects legacy IEEE-488 instruments to today's computers. GPIB goes by several names depending on the instrument's era and manufacturer — HPIB, GPIB, IEC-625, and IEEE-488 all refer to the same underlying bus, and GPIBEE works with instruments labeled under any of them. It connects via USB-C (creating a private USB Ethernet interface) or via standard Ethernet — and exposes your instruments through the VXI-11 protocol that VISA-based software understands natively. Multiple simultaneous sessions are fully supported: several GPIB instruments can be controlled independently over the same bus, even from multiple PCs at the same time.
GPIB role:GPIBEE currently operates as a GPIB controller and VXI-11 bridge; GPIB device (instrument) emulation is not yet supported — it's on the roadmap for firmware version V1.6.
Supported interfaces & protocols
| Interface | Mode | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| USB | USB Network Mode | VXI-11 over USB-Ethernet (CDC NCM) |
| USBTMC Mode | USBTMC (USB Test & Measurement Class) | |
| LinuxGPIB Mode | linux-gpib native interface | |
| ++ Protocol mode | Prologix-compatible (++ commands) via CDC UART (virtual COM port) | |
| Ethernet | Concurrent not mutually exclusive |
VXI-11 over TCP/IP |
| Prologix-compatible (++ commands) |
VISA resource strings & setup examples:See the PyVISA tutorial and the User Manual for complete resource string examples and configuration details.
Electrical & physical
- Power: USB-C (5 V, ≤ 500 mA) or 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) — no additional supply needed
- GPIB connector: standard 24-pin IEEE-488
- Ethernet: 10/100 Mbit RJ45, galvanically isolated (including PoE)
- USB: USB-C, USB 2.0 High Speed (480 Mbit/s) — USBTMC, Network (CDC NCM), UART (Prologix-compatible), Linux GPIB (USBTMC variant)
- LEDs: green (Ethernet mode), orange (USB mode), both indicate data activity
- Button: factory reset (5× press), firmware-update mode (5 s hold), or press once for fast web-interface access in USBTMC mode
Side-by-side
GPIBEE vs. UsbGPIB V2
How GPIBEE compares to the previous generation UsbGPIB V2 adapter — also developed by us. Explore the open-source project on GitHub.
Ready to get started?
Follow the Quick Start Guide to have GPIBEE working in under 5 minutes.