Network Commissioning And Diagnostics; Device Discovery; Device Configuration; Device Placement - Digi XBee ZNet 2.5 Product Manual

Network commissioning and diagnostics

Network commissioning is the process whereby devices in a mesh network are discovered and
configured for operation. The XBee ZNet 2.5 modules include several features to support device
discovery and configuration. In addition to configuring devices, a strategy must be developed to place
devices to ensure reliable routes.
To accommodate these requirements, the XBee ZNet 2.5 modules include various features to aid in
device placement, configuration, and network diagnostics.

Device discovery

The node discovery command can be used to discover all modules that have joined a network.
Issuing the ND command sends a broadcast node discovery command throughout the network. All
devices that receive the command will send a response that includes the device's addressing
information, node identifier string (see NI command), and other relevant information. This command
is useful for generating a list of all module addresses in a network.
When a device receives the node discovery command, it waits a random time before sending its own
response. The maximum time delay is set on the ND sender with the NT command. The ND originator
includes its NT setting in the transmission to provide a delay window for all devices in the network.
Large networks may need to increase NT to improve network discovery reliability. The default NT
value is 0x3C (6 seconds).

Device configuration

API devices can send configuration commands to remote modules to set or read the configuration
settings of any device in the network.

Device placement

For a mesh network installation to be successful, the installer must be able to determine where to
place individual XBee devices to establish reliable links throughout the mesh network.

Link testing

A good way to measure the performance of a mesh network is to send unicast data through the
network from one device to another to determine the success rate of many transmissions. To simplify
link testing, the modules support a loopback cluster ID (0x12) on the data endpoint (0xE8). Any data
sent to this cluster ID on the data endpoint will be transmitted back to the sender. This is shown in
the figure below:
XBee ZNet 2.5 / XBee PRO Znet 2.5 OEM RF Modules Product Manual
Device discovery
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