Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

anusha_14 — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:39:13 GMT

Alright. Thanks, Andreas.

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

AHaug — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 10:54:55 GMT

Great, I can see the ticket

Most likely I will be assigned the case, but if not I will be in touch with the person taking that case and we will continue the discussion in that case

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

anusha_14 — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:26:25 GMT

Hi Andreas,

Thanks for your response.

As you suggested, I have opened a new ticket for this issue here: Zigbee device binding fails when using Softdevice S140 but works with only Zigbee library (i,e without Softdevice)

I have used nrf52840 dongle for capturing the Zigbee traffic and have attached the new logs in that ticket.

Thanks,

Anusha

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

AHaug — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 08:41:55 GMT

Hi Anusha,

No worries about the long repsonse time, it happens from time to time :)

Preferably I would like you to create a new case for this issue now. Other than that, I also recommend you to consider to migrate to NCS instead of nRF5 SDK, specially if this is a relatively new project

[quote user="anusha_14"]

This is the tool that can be used to open the sniffer logs:

https://www.ti.com/tool/download/PACKET-SNIFFER/01.00.00.0Z

[/quote]

Also, if you could upload any sniffer traces/logs as .pcaps we can open them with firmware that is not created by a competitor ;)

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

anusha_14 — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 07:23:03 GMT

Hi Andreas,

Sorry for the very long delay to respond as I was working on other projects during the past few months. Would it be possible to reopen this ticket or do I need to create a new one?

Regarding your questions, here are my responses:

1. It can boot up as Zigbee coordinator device and can respond to joining request from ZED but cannot bind.

2. Yes, it can boot up as BLE device, perform GATT operation, scan and after power cycle also, BLE operations work as expected.

3. As binding of ZED did not occur itself, this question is not applicable.

If it helps to debug, I can share Zigbee sniffer logs from two cases that I tried.

Case 1: Nordic as Zigbee coordinator with only Zigbee support (using libzboss.a and nrf_radio_driver.a) without SoftDevice. I commissioned a ZED (window contact) and the binding was successful. This is the sniffer log:

devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../WC_5F00_CommSuccess.psd

Case 2: Nordic as Zigbee coordinator with SoftDevice (using libzboss.a and nrf_radio_driver_softdevice.a). I tried to commission a ZED (window contact) and the binding failed. This is the sniffer log:
devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../WC_5F00_CommFail.psd

This is the tool that can be used to open the sniffer logs:

https://www.ti.com/tool/download/PACKET-SNIFFER/01.00.00.0Z

On comparing the sniffer logs, we can see that the ZED is able to successfully join the network. However, when the coordinator performs finding and binding operation with SoftDevice present, it always goes to timeout with status ZB_ZDO_FB_INITIATOR_STATUS_ALARM and also the NLME indication status is returned as ZB_NWK_COMMAND_STATUS_INDIRECT_TRANSACTION_EXPIRY.

Note that the source code for binding ZED for both cases (i.e without Softdevice and with Softdevice) is the same.

Please let me know if you need any other details.

Thanks,

Anusha

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

AHaug — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 08:11:37 GMT

Hi,

An update from me

[quote user="anusha_14"]I went through this link and I don't think all the points mentioned in this page are applicable in my case because there is no switching between protocols and from what I understand from an earlier question posted to Nordic support is that, full radio control is available to whichever protocol is running (in the case where only protocol is active).[/quote]

Thank you for reminding me about the previous case for more background information and that we've discussed your project previously.

If it is possible it might be easier to redesign parts of your application to be able to use the multiprotocol, but lets investigate this issue first!

[quote user="anusha_14"]In BLE mode, the functionality works fine as I can see that bonding to a device works fine, able to perform GATT read and write, perform scanning and advertising. But in Zigbee mode, the functionality seems to have changed as I can no longer bind a Zigbee end device.[/quote]

How far have you gotten in the development? Are you able to for instance do:

Boot up as Zigbee device -> bind ZED -> Everything works as expected -> power cycle
Boot up as BLE device -> perform GATT read and write, scan and andvertise -> everything works as expected -> power cycle
Boot up as Zigbee device -> Binding does not work

If this is the case, there might be some renmants of the Zigbee device stored in the network that leads for the network to believe that the device is still in the network, and you might have to remove the ZED from the Zigbee network when you power cycle to become a BLE device, so that the network are able to identify the same ZED and reprovision it whenever you power cycle back to a Zigbee device.

Let me know if this points you in the correct direction and if you have any runtime logs and or Zigbee sniffer traces that you could post here that could indicate what is going on!

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

anusha_14 — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 12:53:28 GMT

Hi Andreas,

Thanks for your response and providing the missed link.

I went through this link and I don't think all the points mentioned in this page are applicable in my case because there is no switching between protocols and from what I understand from an earlier question posted to Nordic support is that, full radio control is available to whichever protocol is running (in the case where only protocol is active).

Ref: Is multiprotocol_802154_config.c required for Zigbee + BLE applications?

I will try to figure out the issue while I am waiting for your response.

Regards,

Anusha

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

AHaug — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:05:36 GMT

[quote user="anusha_14"]I noticed that both links provided in the above response point to the same page. Could you please provide the second link again?[/quote]

You're right, I pasted the same link twice. Here is a direct link to the sample for v4.2.0 https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/topic/sdk_tz_v4.2.0/zigbee_multi_examples.html and for v4.1.0 https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/topic/sdk_tz_v4.1.0/zigbee_multi_examples.html

I will have to spend some more time on looking into the behavior you're describing, but in the meanwhile have a look at the sample and let me know if you're able to extract any information from the sample to fix the issue on your end

We're currently a bit short staffed on the Zigbee support side, so I'll get back to you with an answer or with a time horizon for when I expect to be able to give you an answer as soon as I have some more information for you (within this working week),

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

anusha_14 — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:18:36 GMT

Hi A Haug,

Thanks for your response.

Yes, my application is based on nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v4.1.0.

I went through the link: https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/index.jsp?topic=%2Fsdk_tz_v4.2.0%2Fble_154_multiprotocol.html

and my case is slightly different as it is not switched or dynamic mode. In my application, Nordic can either start in BLE mode or Zigbee mode and once it starts running, it will stay in that protocol mode only. To switch protocols, I perform a restart of Nordic.

In BLE mode, the functionality works fine as I can see that bonding to a device works fine, able to perform GATT read and write, perform scanning and advertising. But in Zigbee mode, the functionality seems to have changed as I can no longer bind a Zigbee end device.

I noticed that both links provided in the above response point to the same page. Could you please provide the second link again?

Please let me know if you need more details to help in figuring out the possible cause of this behaviour.

Regards,

Anusha

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

AHaug — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 07:49:26 GMT

Hi,

Judging from the topic of your case it looks like you're trying to create an application in nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee that has multiprotocol with Zigbee and Bluetooth Low Energy. Can you confirm if this is the case?

Could you also state which SDK you're working with?

If you're creating a multiprotocol application, I would recommend you to have a look at the following documentation for Multiprotocol support with BLE and at the dynamic multiprotocol sample for Zigbee and BLE. Do note that these links are for nRF5 SDK for Thread and Zigbee v4.2, and there might be some changes if you're working with older SDK versions.

Kind regards,
Andreas

RE: Unable to bind Zigbee end devices when using softdevice

Susheel Nuguru — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:48:11 GMT

Hi,

I need to ask our Zigbee experts to help here. Please expect to get a response from those experts soon.