Is Bus Scope a hardware USB analyzer?
Product scopeNo. Bus Scope is a software-only USB diagnostics desktop workbench. It captures USB traffic using the built-in Linux usbmon and Windows USBPcap interfaces — no external hardware analyzer required.
Help
USB capture workflow references.
Short, operational notes for platform capture, licensing, .bscope sessions, and troubleshooting.
USB analyzer
USB packet analyzer
HID descriptor debugging
- Bus Scope License for Bus Scope: Setup and Workflow Guide Bus Scope licensing explained: the Community edition includes the complete local USB diagnostics workflow, while an optional license adds reusable sessions and handoff reports. Open guide
- Connect to a USB Device for Bus Scope: Setup and Workflow Guide How to connect Bus Scope to a USB device for live capture. Covers usbmon setup on Linux, USBPcap on Windows, adapter selection, and first-capture workflow. Open guide
- Platform Capture Setup for Bus Scope: Setup and Workflow Guide Platform-specific USB capture setup: Linux usbmon configuration, Windows USBPcap root hub selection, permissions, and troubleshooting common capture environment issues. Open guide
- Saving and Comparing USB Sessions for Bus Scope: Setup and Workflow Guide How to save USB captures as .bscope sessions, reopen them for review, and compare sessions to identify differences between working and failing device behavior. Open guide
- USB Capture Troubleshooting for Bus Scope: Setup and Workflow Guide Troubleshoot USB capture issues: adapter unavailable, empty timeline, missing evidence. Covers usbmon permissions, USBPcap root hub selection, filter configuration, and session limitations. Open guide
Common questions
What's the difference between Bus Scope and HHD USB Monitor?
Product scopeThe Community edition is free and includes native capture, descriptor and class decoding, triggers, large-capture inspection, and JSON/text export. Professional adds .bscope session persistence plus HTML/PDF reports. See the full workflow comparison on our blog.
How much does Bus Scope cost? Is there a subscription?
LicensingThe Community edition is free for the complete capture-and-diagnosis workflow. An optional license adds .bscope session save/open and HTML/PDF reports; see the product page for current access details.
How does offline licensing work?
LicensingPurchase from the license page, then activate inside the desktop app with your checkout email and license key.
Does Bus Scope work on both Linux and Windows?
CaptureYes. On Linux it captures via usbmon. On Windows it captures via USBPcap (the Windows installer can include the USBPcap setup path).
Can I export USB diagnostic evidence?
ReportsCommunity exports JSON and text. Professional adds HTML/PDF reports and .bscope session save/open, which keep packets, payloads, diagnostics, and decoded evidence together for handoff.
Who uses Bus Scope?
Use caseFirmware engineers, hardware labs, USB device vendors, and support teams who need a repeatable, reportable answer to why USB enumeration, descriptors, endpoints, or transfers fail.
Should I use Bus Scope or Wireshark with USBPcap?
ComparisonUse Wireshark and USBPcap when you need a free general packet analyzer and already know how to build the USB workflow yourself. Use Bus Scope when your work is mostly USB firmware debugging and you want descriptor, endpoint, control transfer, session, and report evidence in one focused desktop tool.
Is USBPcap by itself enough for Windows USB debugging?
CaptureUSBPcap is enough to collect host-visible USB traffic, but it does not provide the full diagnostics workflow. Bus Scope adds product-level capture readiness, USB-first filtering, descriptor interpretation, endpoint context, .bscope sessions, and report export around that capture path.
When do I need a hardware USB analyzer instead of Bus Scope?
HardwareUse hardware when the question is physical-layer proof: electrical behavior, signal integrity, link timing, compliance evidence, or a failure that never reaches the host capture layer. Use Bus Scope first for enumeration, descriptor, endpoint, control transfer, HID, CDC, mass storage, and UVC cases visible to the host.
Who should use the free Community edition?
LicensingUse Community for the full local diagnostics workflow: native capture, class interpretation, triggers, large capture queries, packet detail, and JSON/text export. Choose Professional only when you also need reusable .bscope case files or HTML/PDF handoff reports.