Frequently Asked Questions

This page is to address questions on various module related topics that don't fit into the Wiki anywhere else.

= How can I search for all available networks nearby? = Doing a network discovery will find all PANs nearby, including the short PANID as well as the 8-byte extended PANID. Before performing a network discovery your device must be off the network. This functionality is demonstrated in the network explorer (version 1653 or newer).

The process that we used successfully is as follows:
 * 1) Start Coordinator normally
 * 2) Start Router normally
 * 3) On Coordinator device, call ZDO_MGMT_LEAVE_REQ to request the Router leave the network. Coordinator sends a ZDO_MGMT_LEAVE_RSP back to host. Router waits about 5 seconds and then resets.
 * 4) Both Router and Coordinator receive a ZDO_LEAVE_IND confirming that the router has left the network.
 * 5) Now that the router is a free man (off the network) it calls ZDO_NWK_DISCOVERY_REQ. This causes the router to scan for networks on multiple RF channels. It will receive a ZDO_BEACON_NOTIFY_IND message in response containing information about any networks found.
 * 6) Finally, once the scan is complete the Router sends a ZDO_NWK_DISCOVERY_CNF to its host, indicating that the scan is complete.

Note: the router probably could have leave requested itself, rather than having the coordinator request it to leave.

= How can I get the network topology? = The network topology is the structure of the network, particularly which devices are on the network and how they are arranged. In Zigbee the Coordinator (or any other device) does not store the entire topology. So, we have to recursively iterate through the network in order to determine the topology.

The way we do this is through calls to ZDO_IEEE_ADDR_REQ. This function serves two purposes:
 * 1) Retrieving the MAC Address for a given short address
 * 2) Retrieving a list of children of a given node

It is the second feature that we take advantage of. To get the topology of the entire network we call ZDO_IEEE_ADDR_REQ on the Coordinator (Short Address always 0x0000). This returns a list of child nodes. We then call ZDO_IEEE_ADDR_REQ on each of these children, which returns even more children. Repeat the process (calling ZDO_IEEE_ADDR_REQ on every node) and you will get a map of the network.

This is included in the Network Explorer, version 1657 and above.

= What Stack Profile is supported by the Anaren module? = The Stack Profile included with the A2530 Modules is Zigbee 2007 Pro. If you are developing your own application then you can use any Stack Profile that can run on the CC2530 IC.

= What Application Profile is supported by the Anaren module? = The A2530 module supports any profile that can run on the Zigbee 2007 Pro stack using network-key encryption. Most of our users use a Manufacturer Specific Profile.

= How can I change the output TX power of the A2530 module? = The default output power of the A2530 module is set to max value allowed by the regional regulatory authority. This is done by the setModuleRfPower(uint8_t productId, uint16_t moduleRegion) function in the .../firmware/ZM/module_utilities.c file. After verifying the module and the region of use, the function simply passes the value of the output power to the sysSetTxPower(uint8_t txPowerSetting, uint8_t* actualTxPowerSetting) function (in ../firmware/ZM/module.c). The user can set "txPowerSetting" parameter to any allowed output power value (eg. 3, 0, -6) as allowed by the CC2530 datasheet.

Please be reminded that this method modifies the Tx power of the IC. The emitted RF power will be slightly less due to matching network, balun (if not a module with range-extender), and antenna. Please see the user manual of the corresponding A2530 module for more details on the TX output power.

