Digi XCTU User Manual

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XCTU

Configuration and Test Utility Software

User Guide

Revision history—90001458-13

Revision Date Description

P September 2019 6.4.4.X release.

R November 2019 6.5.0.X release.

S May 2020 6.5.1.X release.

T August 2020 6.5.2.X release.

U October 2020 6.5.3.x release.

Trademarks and copyright

Digi, Digi International, and the Digi logo are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimers

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Digi International. Digi provides this document “as is,” without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of fitness or merchantability for a particular purpose. Digi may make improvements and/or changes in this manual or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.

Warranty

To view product warranty information, go to the following website:

www.digi.com/howtobuy/terms

Customer support

Gather support information: Before contacting Digi technical support for help, gather the following

information:

Product name and model

Product serial number (s)

Firmware version

Operating system/browser (if applicable)

Logs (from time of reported issue)

Trace (if possible)

Description of issue

Steps to reproduce

XCTU User Guide

Contact Digi technical support: Digi offers multiple technical support plans and service packages.

Feedback

To provide feedback on this document, email your comments to

Include the document title and part number (XCTU User Guide, 90001458-13 U) in the subject line of your email.

techcomm@digi.com

XCTU User Guide

Contents

Download and install XCTU

XCTU requirements 11

Operating systems 11 System requirements 11 Supported RF modules 11

Install XCTU - Windows 12

XCTU updates 12

Install XCTU - Linux 12

XCTU updates 13

Install XCTU - OSX 13

XCTU updates 13 Optional: Manually install USB drivers 13 Install USB drivers for cellular modems 14

Drivers for XBee 3 Cellular LTE CAT 1 14

Drivers for XBee 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT 14

RF concepts and terminology

RF modules 16

XBee RF modules 16

XTend RF modules 16

XLR PRO radio solutions 16 Radio firmware 16 Radio communication protocols 17 Radio module operating modes 17

AT operating mode 18

API operating mode 18

API escaped operating mode 19 API frames 19 AT settings or commands 20

Configuring in AT mode 20

Configuring in API mode 21 Local radio modules 21 Remote radio modules 21

XCTU overview

Menu bar 22 Main toolbar 23 Devices list 23

XCTU User Guide

Working area 24 Status bar 24 XCTU preferences 24

Appearance 24

Automatic updates 25

Consoles 25

Firmware updates 25

Network 25

Radio firmware library 27 XCTU working modes 27

Configuration working mode 27

Consoles working mode 27

Network working mode 28

Add radio modules to XCTU

Add a radio module manually 30 Add a programmable radio module 33 Discover local radio modules 34 Radio module information panel 36

Module Icon 37

New firmware indicator 39

Remove a radio module 40

Expand/Collapse radio modules list 40

Module information box 41 Organize your modules 41

Find radio modules 41

Sort radio modules 41

Clear radio modules 41 Discover remote radio modules 41 Find radio modules 43

Search expressions 43

Configure your modules

Configuration working mode 46

Configuration toolbar 46

Firmware information panel 47

Firmware settings 47

Setting status 49

Setting types 50

Special functions 51 Read radio module configuration 54 Write module settings 54 Load default firmware settings 54 Update firmware 55

Cellular modem firmware updates 56

Remote firmware updates 56

Bootloader updates 57 Work with configuration profiles 57

Create a configuration profile 57

Apply a configuration profile 65

Load and edit a configuration profile 66 Search for a firmware setting 67

XCTU User Guide

Configure remote modules securely 67

Secure session 67

Secure Remote Commands 70 Configure a Wi-Fi access point 71 Enable and configure Bluetooth 73 View firmware release notes 74

Communicate with your modules

Consoles working mode 77

Console status 77

Consoles toolbar 78

Line status indicator 78

Console overview 79 Connect and disconnect the console 79 Record a console session 80 Attach and detach the console 80 Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode 81

API console 81

Filter sent and received frames 85

Add an API frame 89

Manage API frames 91

Send a single API frame 93

Send a sequence of API frames 94

Save an API console session 95 Communicate with modules running in AT mode 96

AT console 96

Add a data packet 99

Manage data packets 101

Send a single packet 102

Send a sequence of packets 103

Save an AT console session 104 Console log files 104

Console session records 104

Data records 105

View your radio network

Network working mode 107

Scan the network for available modules 114 Search for network nodes 114 Change network perspective 114 Set network layout 115 Filter network connections by quality 115 Take a screenshot of the network 116 Set zoom level in Graph view 117 Export a network table 117

XCTU User Guide

Network toolbar 107

Network scan status 108

Graph view 108

Table view 112

Configure XCTU

Set general preferences 119 Set appearance preferences 120 Set automatic software update preferences 121 Set console preferences 123 Set firmware update preferences 124 Set network discovery preferences 125 Set network appearance preferences 127 Set radio firmware library preferences 129 Set MicroPython Terminal preferences 130

Update software

Update radio firmware library 132 Install legacy radio firmware 133 Install XCTU updates 134 Open change log 135

Use the XCTU command line

Understanding the XCTU command line interface 137

List all commands 137

Program arguments 137 List ports via command line 137

Options 138 Load profile via command line 138

Options 138

Examples 139 Update firmware via command line 139

Set options 140

Examples 140

XCTU tools

Frames generator tool 143

Frames interpreter tool 148

XBee recovery tool 153

Load console session tool 157

Range test tool 162

XCTU User Guide

XBee APIFrame generator dialog 144

ASCII/HEX conversion 146

Generate an API frame 146

XBee API Frames interpreter dialog 149

Decode a frame 151

Recover a radio module dialog 154

Recover a radio module 156

Console session viewer dialog 158

Load a console session 161

Radio range test dialog 163

Device Selection 164

Range Test Configuration 166

Data representation 167

Supported products 168

Special considerations 169

Range test 170

Perform a range test 170 Firmware explorer tool 172

Firmware explorer dialog 172

Firmware selection panel 173

Firmware toolbar 174

Firmware settings panel 174

Inspect a firmware version 174 Serial console tool 175

Serial console dialog 176

Open a serial console session 178

Configure the serial port settings 178

Open a serial console session 179 Spectrum analyzer tool 180

Spectrum analyzer dialog 181

Device selection 182

Analysis configuration 182

Channels Chart 183

Channel summary values 184

Number of samples 185

Analyze the spectrum of a radio band 185 Throughput tool 185

Throughput dialog 187

Device selection 187

Throughput session configuration 188

Data representation 193

Supported products 194

Special considerations 194

Measure the transfer ratio between two radio modules 195 MicroPython Terminal tool 197

Configure the serial port settings - MicroPython Terminal tool 199

Open a MicroPython Terminal session 200 File system manager tool 201

File system manager dialog 202

File System Manager sections 203

Interact with XBee file system 203

Update the file system of remote devices 205 Profile Editor tool 209

Profile Editor dialog 209

Profile Editor toolbar 210

How-to articles and videos

How to update the firmware of your modules 213

How to visualize your network 215

XCTU User Guide

Step 1: Add the module to XCTU 213

Step 2: Update the firmware 214

Over-the-air firmware update considerations 215

Step 1:Scan the network 215

Step 2:Explore the network 216

217

Troubleshooting for XCTU

Troubleshooting: General 219 Troubleshooting: Networking 220 Troubleshooting: Firmware update 220 Troubleshooting: Add radio module 221

Known issues

XCTU User Guide

Download and install XCTU

This section contains download and install instructions based on operating system. XCTU is compatible with Linux, OSX, and Windows. It may be necessary to configure your system prior to installing XCTU for the first time.

XCTU requirements 11 Install XCTU - Windows 12 Install XCTU - Linux 12 Install XCTU - OSX 13 Optional: Manually install USB drivers 13 Install USB drivers for cellular modems 14

XCTU User Guide

Download and install XCTU XCTU requirements

XCTU requirements

Operating systems

XCTU is compatible with the following operating systems:

n Windows Vista/7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit versions)

n Mac OS X v10.6 and higher versions (64-bit only)

n Linux with KDE or GNOME window managers (32-bit or 64-bit versions)

System requirements

Property Minimum Recommended

HDD space 500 MB 1 GB

RAM memory 2 GB 4 GB

CPU Dual-core processor Quad-core processor

Supported RF modules

XCTU supports configuration and communication for most Digi RF modules. XCTU uses a serial link to interact with these radio modules, providing an easy-to-use and intuitive graphical interface. The following is a complete list of XCTU-compatible RF modules:

n XBee®/XBee-PRO® RF Module Family

l XBee SX

l XBee-PRO SX

l XBee 802.15.4

l XBee-PRO 802.15.4

l XBee ZB

l XBee-PRO ZB

l Programmable XBee-PRO ZB

l XBee ZB SMT

l XBee-PRO ZB SMT

l Programmable XBee-PRO ZB SMT

l XBee-PRO 900HP

l Programmable XBee-PRO 900HP

l XBee-PRO XSC

l XBee-PRO 900

l XBee-PRO DigiMesh 900

l XBee DigiMesh 2.4

l XBee-PRO DigiMesh 2.4

l XBee-PRO 868

XCTU User Guide

Download and install XCTU Install XCTU - Windows

l XBee Wi-Fi

l XBee 865LP

l Programmable XBee 865LP

l XBee Cellular

l XBee 868LP SX

l XBee Thread

l XBee3 (Zigbee, DigiMesh 2.4, 802.15.4 and Cellular)

n XTend® RF Module family

n XLR PRO radio solution

n XLR Module

Install XCTU - Windows

Follow the steps below to download and install XCTU on your computer.

1. Visit www.digi.com/xctu.

2. Click Download XCTU.

3. Under Utilities, click the Windows installer link.

4. When the file has finished downloading, run the executable file and follow the steps in the XCTU

Setup Wizard.

A “What’s new” dialog appears when XCTU opens the first time after the installation.

XCTU updates

You may be notified about XCTU software updates once XCTUhas loaded. You should always update XCTU to the latest available version. See Install XCTU updates.

Install XCTU - Linux

By default, access to the serial and USB ports in Linux is restricted to root and dialout group users. To access your XBee devices and use XCTU to communicate with them, your Linux user must belong to this group.

To add your Linux user to the dialout group:

1. Open a terminal console.

2. Execute this command:

sudo usermod -a -G dialout <user>

where <user> is the user you want to add to the dialout group.

3. Log out and log in again with your user in the system.

Then download and install XCTU:

XCTU User Guide

Download and install XCTU Install XCTU - OSX

4. Visit www.digi.com/xctu.

5. Click Download XCTU.

6. Under Utilities, click the Linux installer link.

7. When the file has finished downloading, run the executable file and follow the steps in the XCTU

Setup Wizard.

A “What’s new” dialog appears when XCTU opens the first time after the installation.

XCTU updates

You may be notified about XCTU software updates once XCTUhas loaded. You should always update XCTU to the latest available version. See Install XCTU updates.

Install XCTU - OSX

OSX version 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and greater only allows you to install applications downloaded from the Apple Store. To install XCTU, you must temporarily disable this setting.

Follow these steps to enable installation of "unsigned" software:

1. Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen and choose System Preferences.

2. Click the Security & Privacy icon.

3. To edit security settings, click the padlock icon in the bottom left of the window.

4. Enter your Mac credentials and click Unlock. The Allow applications downloaded from dialog

appears.

5. Click the Anywhere radio button and, in the confirmation window, click Allow From

Anywhere.

Note We recommend you set this option back to Mac App Store or Mac App Store and identified

developers once you have finished installing XCTU.

Then download and install XCTU:

6. Visit www.digi.com/xctu.

7. Click Download XCTU.

8. Under Utilities, click the OSX installer link.

9. When the file has finished downloading, unzip and run the executable file and follow the steps

in the XCTU Setup Wizard.

A “What’s new” dialog appears when XCTU opens the first time after the installation.

XCTU updates

You may be notified about XCTU software updates once XCTUhas loaded. You should always update XCTU to the latest available version. See Install XCTU updates.

Optional: Manually install USB drivers

When you connect the XBee board to your computer for the first time, USB drivers are installed automatically. There are times when this does not occur, and you need to install device drivers

XCTU User Guide

Download and install XCTU Install USB drivers for cellular modems

manually:

1. Find the appropriate USB drivers on the Digi support site.

2. Choose your operating system.

3. Download and run the file.

4. Follow the steps in the installation wizard.

Install USB drivers for cellular modems

XCTU requires additional drivers to update the modems of newer XBee 3 Cellular devices. If you have not installed them, use the following instructions to do so depending on the devices you want to program.

Note This step is only required if you are programing the modem of XBee 3 Cellular LTE CAT 1 or XBee

3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT devices.

Drivers for XBee 3 Cellular LTE CAT 1

1. Go to the Telit drivers page.

2. Select the Telit Windows Desktop Drivers Installer.

3. Run the executable file.

4. Follow the steps in the installation wizard.

Drivers for XBee 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT

1. Go to the u-blox drivers page.

2. Select the SARA-R4 USB Windows Driver.

3. Run the executable file.

4. Follow the steps in the installation wizard.

CAUTION! If you are using Windows 7 or Vista, we highly recommend that you disable the drivers installation from Windows Update in order to speed up the modem update process. For more information on how to do this, go tohttps://support.microsoft.com/en-

us/help/2500967/how-to-stop-windows-7-automatically-installing-drivers.

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology

This section contains concepts regarding radio frequency modules and the XCTU application itself. Understanding these concepts will help you work most effectively with XCTU.

RF modules 16 Radio firmware 16 Radio communication protocols 17 Radio module operating modes 17 API frames 19 AT settings or commands 20 Local radio modules 21 Remote radio modules 21

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology RF modules

RF modules

A radio frequency (RF) module is a small electronic circuit used to transmit and receive radio signals on different frequencies. Digi produces a wide variety of RF modules to meet the requirements of almost any wireless solution, such as long-range, low-cost, and low-power modules. The most popular wireless products are the XBee RF modules.

XCTU is compatible with Digi's XBee and XTend RF modules and XLR PRO. For a complete list of XCTUcompatible modules, see XCTU requirements.

XBee RF modules

XBee is the brand name of a family of RF modules produced by Digi. They are modular products that make deploying wireless technology easy and costeffective. Digi has made multiple protocols and RF features available in the popular XBee footprint, giving customers enormous flexibility to choose the best technology for their needs.

XBee RF modules are available in two form-factors, Through-Hole and Surface Mount, with different antenna options. One of the most popular features of these modules is that almost all of them are available in the Through-Hole form factor and share the same footprint.

XTend RF modules

XLR PRO radio solutions

Radio firmware

Radio firmware is program code stored in a radio module's persistent memory that provides the control program for the device. Digi periodically releases new radio firmware versions to fix bugs or improve functionality. You may need to add these firmware files to XCTU's radio firmware library. You can use XCTU to update or change the firmware of a module if, for example, you want to change the role of a device or you want to use the latest firmware version.

XTend family devices are long-range RF modules produced by Digi that provide unprecedented range in a low-cost wireless data solution. They were engineered to provide customers with an easy-to-use RF solution that provides reliable delivery of critical data between remote devices. These modules transfer standard asynchronous serial data streams, operate within the ISM 900 MHz frequency band, and sustain up to 115.2 Kbps data throughput.

The XLR PRO is an ultra long-range, rugged 900MHz radio solution designed for optimal performance even in the most challenging RF environments. Leveraging Digi's patent-pending Chirp Spread Spectrum technology, the XLR PRO provides industry-leading receive sensitivity and interference immunity, making it ideal for deployments in noisy RF environments like oil fields. The XLR PRO includes 2 Ethernet ports and 1 serial port, enabling wireless data communications between Ethernet and/or serial devices up to distances of over 90 miles.

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology Radio communication protocols

Radio communication protocols

A radio communication protocol is a set of rules for data exchange between radio devices. An RF module supports a specific radio communication protocol depending on the module and its radio firmware.

The following is the complete list of protocols supported by the XBee radio modules:

n IEEE 802.15.4

n ZigBee

n ZigBee Smart Energy

n DigiMesh (Digi proprietary)

n ZNet

n IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)

n Point-to-multipoint (Digi proprietary)

n XSC (XStream-compatible)

Not all XBee devices can run all listed communication protocols. The combination of XBee hardware and radio firmware determines the protocol that an XBee device can execute. For more information about the available XBee RF modules and the protocols they support, see XBee RF Family Comparison

Matrix.

Radio module operating modes

The operating mode of an XBee radio module establishes the way a user or any microcontroller attached to the XBee communicates with the module through the Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) or serial interface.

Depending on the firmware and its configuration, radio modules can work in three different operating modes:

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology Radio module operating modes

n Application Transparent (AT) operating mode

n API operating mode

n API escaped operating mode

In some cases, the operating mode of a radio module is established by the firmware version, which determines whether the operating mode is AT or API, and the AP setting of the firmware, which determines if the API mode is escaped (2) or not (1). In other cases, the operating mode is only determined by the AP setting, which allows you to configure the mode to be AT (AP=0), API (AP=1), or API escaped (AP=2).

AT operating mode

In AT (Application Transparent) or transparent operating mode, all serial data received by the radio module is queued up for RF transmission. When RF data is received by the module, the data is sent out through the serial interface.

To configure an XBee module operating in AT, you must put it in command mode to send the configuration commands.

AT Command mode

When the radio module is working in AT operating mode, you must use the command mode interface to configure settings.

To enter AT command mode, send the three-character command sequence (usually "+++") within one second. Once AT command mode has been instigated, the module sends an "OK\r", the command mode timer is started, and the radio module is able to receive AT commands.

AT command structure

The structure of an AT command is:

AT[ASCII command][Space (optional)][Parameter (optional)][Carriage return]

For example:

ATNI MyDevice\r

If no valid AT commands are received within the command mode timeout, the radio module automatically exits AT command mode. You can also exit command mode by issuing the CN command:

(ATCN\r)

API operating mode

API (Application Programming Interface) operating mode is an alternative to AT mode. API operating mode requires that communication with the module be done through a structured interface. In other words, data is communicated via API frames.

The API specifies how commands, command responses, and module status messages are sent and received from the module using the serial interface. With API operating mode, you can:

n Configure the XBee module itself.

n Configure remote modules in the network.

n Manage data transmission to multiple destinations.

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology API frames

n Receive success/failure status of each transmitted RF packet.

n Identify the source address of each received packet.

Depending on the AP parameter value, the radio module can operate in one of two modes: API (AP=1) or API escaped (AP=2) operating mode.

API escaped operating mode

API escaped operating mode (AP=2) is similar to API mode except that when working in API escaped mode, some bytes of the API frame specific data must be escaped. Since XCTU is compatible with both API and API escaped operating modes, you do not need to manually escape characters.

API escaped operating mode increases the reliability of RF transmission by preventing conflicts with special characters such as the start-of-frame byte (0x7E). API non-escaped (API=1) operation relies solely on the start delimiter and length bytes to differentiate API frames. In API escaped mode, on the other hand, those special bytes are escaped. Since 0x7E can only appear at the start of an API packet, a module can always "assume" that a new packet has started if 0x7E is received at any time while in API escaped mode.

Escape characters

When sending or receiving an API frame in API escaped mode, specific data values must be escaped (flagged) so they do not interfere with the data frame sequence.

To escape a data byte, insert 0x7D and follow it with the byte to be escaped XOR'd with 0x20. The data bytes that need to be escaped are as follows:

n 0x7E: Frame delimiter

n 0x7D: Escape

n 0x11: XON

n 0x13: XOFF

Note XCTU automatically escapes the appropriate characters when interacting with API escaped

radio modules.

API frames

An API frame is the structured data sent and received through the serial interface of the radio module when it is configured in API or API escaped operating modes. API frames are used to communicate with the module or with other modules in the network. An API frame has the following structure:

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology AT settings or commands

Field Description

Start delimeter

Length

Frame data

Checksum The last byte of the frame. It helps test data integrity and is calculated by taking the

If your module is operating in API escaped operating mode, some bytes in the Length, Frame data, and Checksum frame fields may need to be escaped. XCTU automatically performs this step and escapes the appropriate characters. See API escaped operating mode.

The first byte of a frame consisting of a special sequence of bits which indicate the beginning of a data frame. Its value is always 0x7E. This allows for easy detection of a new incoming frame.

Specifies the total number of bytes included in the frame data field. Its two-byte value excludes the start delimiter, the length, and the checksum.

Composed by the API identifier and the API identifier-specific data. The content of the specific data depends on the API identifier (also called API frame type).

hash sum of all the API frame bytes that came before it, excluding the first three bytes (start delimiter and length).

Note There are many different types of API frames. You can use the Frames generator tool to learn

the specific data contained within a determined API frame as well as to build and fill any type of API frame. See Frames generator tool.

AT settings or commands

The firmware running in RF modules contains a set of settings and commands that can be configured to change the behavior of the module or to perform any action related to it. Depending on the protocol, the number of settings and their meanings varies, but all XBee RF modules can be configured with AT commands.

All firmware settings or commands are identified with two ASCII characters. Applications and documents refer to them as either AT settings or AT commands.

The configuration process of these AT settings varies depending on the operating mode of the RF module.

Configuring in AT mode

In AT operating mode, you must put the module in a special mode called command mode so it can receive AT commands. For more information about configuring RF modules working in AT operating mode, see AT operating mode.

XCTU User Guide

RF concepts and terminology Local radio modules

Configuring in API mode

To configure or execute AT commands when the RF module is in API operating mode, you must generate an AT command API frame containing the AT setting identifier and the value of that setting, and send it to the RF module. See API frames.

Local radio modules

A local radio module is any module added to the device list using the Add a radio module or Discover radio modules buttons.

XCTU communicates directly with local modules, and they are physically attached to the PC through a serial or USB port. A local radio module can discover remote modules in the same network if their protocol is ZigBee or DigiMesh. A local module is configurable if Configuration working mode is active, and you can communicate with a local module through its console when Consoles working mode is active.

Remote radio modules

You can locate remote radio modules in the same network as a local module. A remote module is not physically attached to your computer. Remote modules are displayed in a sub-list under the local module, and that local module functions as an interpreter; without it, XCTUis unable to communicate with the remote module. See Discover remote radio modules.

Communication between XCTU and a remote module takes place in two stages: serial communication from XCTU to the local module, and wireless communication between the local module and the remote module. XCTU uses the serial port to send a message intended for the remote module, along with delivery specifics, to the local module. The local module then transmits the message wirelessly to the remote module.

If the local device containing remote modules is configured in AT (transparent) operating mode, you cannot configure its remote radio modules due to a protocol limitation. If the local radio module is configured in API operating mode, you can configure its remote radio modules like any local module.

Since a remote radio module is not physically connected to the PC, it does not have a communication console in Consoles working mode. For the same reason, you also cannot obtain a remote radio module's network topology in Network working mode. See Consoles working mode and Network

working mode.

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview

XCTUis divided into five main sections: the menu bar, main toolbar, devices list, working area, and status bar.

Menu bar

The menu bar is located at the top of the application. You can use the menu bar to access all XCTUfeatures, tools, and working modes.

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview Main toolbar

Main toolbar

The main toolbar is located at the top of the application and is divided into three sections.

n The first section contains two icons used to add radio modules to the radio modules list. See

Add radio modules to XCTU.

n The second section contains the static XCTU functionality that does not require a radio module.

This section includes the XCTU tools, the XCTU configuration, the feedback form, and the help and updates functions. See XCTU tools and Configure XCTU.

n The third section contains tabs corresponding to the three XCTU working modes. To use this

functionality, you must have added one or more radio modules to the list. See XCTU working

modes.

Devices list

The radio modules list, or devices list, is located on the left side of the tool and displays the radio modules that are connected to your computer. If you know the serial port configuration of a radio module, you can add it to the list directly. You can also use the discovery feature of XCTU to find radio modules connected to your PC and add them to the list. See Add radio modules to XCTU.

Depending on the protocol of the local radio modules added, you can also add remote radio modules to the list using the module's search feature.

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview Working area

Working area

The working area is the largest section and is located at the right side of the application. The contents of the working area depend on the working mode selected in the toolbar. To interact with the controls displayed in the working area, you must have added one or more radio modules to the list and one of the modules must be selected.

Status bar

The status bar is located at the bottom of the application and displays the status of specific tasks, such as the firmware download process.

XCTU preferences

To configure XCTUsettings, click the Preferences button on the XCTU toolbar. Configuration preferences are grouped into categories listed on the left-hand side of the preferences

dialog box. You can configure settings in the following XCTU categories:

Appearance

You can configure some graphic aspects of the tool and how some elements are displayed.

Field Description

Font size Change all the XCTU texts size in percentage, from 50 to 120%.

Show top bar menu

Show text on toolbar actions

Use reduced toolbars size

Displays an application top bar menu with texts.

Displays the name of the action below each toolbar element for a better understanding of the meaning of each action.

Changes the size of the application toolbars reducing them.

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview XCTU preferences

Automatic updates

Field Description

Automatically find new updates and notify me

Update schedule Sets a schedule to search for updates or to update when XCTU is started. If you

Download options Establishes when new updates should download and sets permissions for

When updates are found

Enables or disables automatic XCTUupdates. Uncheck if you do not want XCTUto update automatically.

Look for updates on the following schedule

select the search interval and hour.

whether updates are automatically downloaded.

Sets the frequency of update notification.

, you must also specify

Consoles

Field Description

API console

AT console

Configures the maximum number of API frames that can be displayed in the frames log during a session. When the maximum limit is reached, the session starts overwriting frames.

Configures the maximum number of bytes that can be displayed during a session. When the maximum limit is reached, the session starts overwriting bytes.

MadCap:autonum="<span style="color: #84c361;" class="mcFormatColor"><b>Note </b></span>">If you set high values for maximum API frames and/or ATbytes, you may notice performance issues in the consoles.

Firmware updates

Field Description

Remote firmware update timeout

Configures the remote firmware update timeout in milliseconds. This value is the maximum time the application will wait for answers sent by the remote node during remote firmware update before concluding that there was an error during the process.

Network

You can configure Network view in the Network preferences dialog. The first four options are common to all networks:

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview XCTU preferences

Field Description

Always clear the Network view

Clears Network view before each new network scan.

before starting

Remove nodes if they were not

Removes any nodes not discovered in the last scan. discovered in the last performed scan

Stop after scan Sets the number of scans to perform before stopping the

discovery process. A value of '0' means the process will not stop

automatically.

Time between scans Sets the duration of time XCTU waits before starting a new

network scan. The value must be between 0 and 300 seconds.

The remainder of the options are specific to 802.15.4, DigiMesh, and ZigBee network types:

Field Description

Discovery mode

Sets the method used by the network discovery process.

n Flood: The neighbor discovery process is performed for every node at the

moment it is found. Several discovery processes may be running at the same time. This method may be faster, but it may also generate a lot of traffic and saturate the network.

n Cascade: The neighbor discovery process is performed for every node as soon as

the discovery process finishes. Only one discovery process runs at a time. This method may be slower, but it is likely to generate less traffic.

Neighbor discovery

Sets the maximum duration, in seconds, the discovery process should spend finding neighbors of a module. Value must be between 5 and 1800 seconds (30 minutes).

timeout

This timeout is highly dependent on the nature of the network. For DigiMesh, the value should be greater than the highest NT (Node Discover Timeout) and include enough time to let the message propagate, depending on the sleep cycle of your devices.

Time between

Sets the wait time between node neighbor requests. The value must be between 0 and 300 seconds (5 minutes).

requests

For the Cascade method, this is the number of seconds to wait after completion of the neighbor discovery process of the previous node.

For the Flood method, this is the minimum time to wait between each radio module's neighbor requests.

Note The Cascade discovery method is recommended for large networks.

Network appearance

You can configure how node links are represented in Network graphic view.

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview XCTU working modes

Field Description

Connection default color

Show colored connections based on their quality

DigiMesh / ZigBee network

Defines the default color of the node's connection lines.

Enables or disables the coloring of node connection lines based on their link quality.

Enables you to modify the maximum and minimum values and RGB colors for each quality range. Click in the cell, type the value, and click Enter to change a value.

Ranges include minimum values but not maximum values. When you change the minimum value of a quality range, the maximum value of the next range adopts a corresponding value.

Radio firmware library

You can instruct XCTU to look for new radio firmware when it starts up by checking Automatically update the XBee Firmware Library each time XCTU is started. If this option is disabled, you can

only check for firmware updates manually.

XCTU working modes

XCTU operations are grouped into three working modes—Configuration, Consoles, and Network. The selected working mode determines which specific operations you can perform with a radio module or modules in your device list. You can only select one working mode at a time. By default, XCTU launches in Configuration mode.

Configuration working mode

Use configuration working mode to configure a radio module selected from your device list. See

Configure your modules.

Consoles working mode

Use consoles working mode to interact or communicate with the selected radio module. See

Communicate with your modules.

XCTU User Guide

XCTU overview XCTU working modes

Network working mode

Use network working mode to discover and visualize the topology and interconnections of your network. See View your radio network.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU

This section describes how to add, discover and organize your radio modules in XCTU.

Add a radio module manually 30 Add a programmable radio module 33 Discover local radio modules 34 Radio module information panel 36 Organize your modules 41 Discover remote radio modules 41 Find radio modules 43

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Add a radio module manually

Add a radio module manually

If you know the serial configuration of your radio module, you can add it to the list manually.

Click the Add a radio module button from the toolbar. The Add a radio module dialog opens.

2. Select the serial port where the radio module is connected (or enter its name manually) and

3. Click Finish to add the radio module to the list of radio modules.

4. If the settings were configured correctly and the radio module was connected to the selected

XCTU User Guide

configure the serial settings of the port.

Note Custom baud rates can only be typed under Windows OS.

port, the module is displayed in the device list. For more information about the device list, see

Radio module information panel.

Add radio modules to XCTU Add a radio module manually

5. If the settings were configured incorrectly, an Action Required dialog asks you to reset the

module. Reset the module. The action required dialog should close and your module should be added to the list.

6. If your module could not be found, XCTU displays the Could not find any radio module dialog

providing possible reasons why the module could not be added. To resolve the issue, see

Troubleshooting for XCTU.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Add a radio module manually

Note You can also use the Add a radio module dialog to add programmable radio modules. See Add a

programmable radio module.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Add a programmable radio module

For more information, see Local radio modules and Radio module information panel.

Add a programmable radio module

Some radio module variants are programmable, which means they are able to run applications written in C. Normally, they are known as Programmable XBee modules and can be identified by a part number ending in B on the back label.

XBee-PRO modules are often confused with Programmable XBee modules. The -PRO suffix does not mean that the module is programmable.

To add a programmable radio module:

Click the Add a radio module button from the toolbar. The Add a radio module dialog opens.

2. Select the serial port to which the radio module is connected (or enter its name manually) and

3. Check the My radio module is programmable setting.

XCTU User Guide

configure the serial settings of the port.

Add radio modules to XCTU Discover local radio modules

4. Click Finish.

5. Reset your radio module when prompted. The module appears in the device list.

For more information, see Local radio modules and Radio module information panel.

Discover local radio modules

XCTU can discover radio modules that are connected directly to your computer. You can use the discovery tool if you don't know the serial configuration of your radio module, don't know the port it is connected to, or want to add multiple modules at once.

Click the Discover radio modules button on the XCTUtoolbar. The Discover radio modules dialog box opens.

2. Select the serial ports you would like to scan for radio modules. Click Next.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Discover local radio modules

3. Select any port parameters you would like to include in the search process.

Note XCTU displays estimated discovery time in the Set port parameters dialog. Adding more

port parameters to the search increases discovery time.

4. Click Finish to initiate the discovery scan.

XCTU User Guide

A new dialog opens, displaying devices found and estimated time remaining. You can click Stop to halt the discovery process at any time. For example, you can stop the process if the modules you were looking for are already found.

Add radio modules to XCTU Radio module information panel

5. Select the box next to the module(s) you want to add to your device list and click Add selected devices. The modules appear in the device list.

For more information, see Local radio modules and Radio module information panel.

Radio module information panel

Local radio modules appear as big buttons in the modules list. Each module displays identifying information about itself.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Radio module information panel

To work with a radio module, you must select it from the list of devices. When you hover over a module, the background color changes to yellow.

Selecting a radio module refreshes the contents of the working area, displaying the information or actions you can perform on the selected module. The contents of the working area depend on the active working mode.

Module Icon

An icon on the left side of the information panel identifies the module type and protocol.

Icon Module type Protocol

XBee ZigBee

XBee DigiMesh (Digi's proprietary protocol)

XBee 802.15.4

XBee Point-to-multipoint

XBee Smart Energy

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Radio module information panel

Icon Module type Protocol

XBee ZNet

XBee Wi-Fi

XBee XStream Compatibility

XTend XTend native

XTend DigiMesh (Digi's proprietary protocol)

XLR XLR-PRO native

XLR Module XLR Module

XBee SX

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Radio module information panel

Icon Module type Protocol

XBee Cellular

XBee Thread

Each icon may contain a small image in the lower-right corner that identifies the role of that module within its network:

Icon Description

Coordinator

Router

End device

Buttons along the right-hand side of the module information panel perform actions on the selected module:

Button Name Description

Remove Removes the radio module from the list of devices. Also removes the

associated communication console and network view of that module. Removes the local module and any associated remote modules.

Expand/collapse Expands and collapses the remote radio modules list.

Discovers remote radio modules in the same network. Dependent on radio module protocol. Performs an SSID discovery for Wi-Fi modules, and for any other protocol performs a discovery of remote radio modules. See Discover remote radio modules and Active scan.

New firmware indicator

When a radio module is not running the latest firmware version it is able to run, the New Firmware control displays next to the name label for the information panel.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Radio module information panel

This control indicates that there is a newer firmware version that can be flashed in the radio module. If you click New Firmware, the Update firmware dialog is automatically opened for that radio module. All of the available firmware versions for the radio module are listed in the dialog.

Remove a radio module

Click Remove to remove a selected radio module from the list of devices. Removing a module from the list also disables the associated communication console and network view of the module.

Note Clicking the Remove button of a remote module removes only that radio module from the sub-

list of remote modules. Click the Remove button of a local module with a sub-list of remote modules removes the local module as well as all of its remote modules.

Expand/Collapse radio modules list

If the protocol of the radio module is ZigBee or DigiMesh and you have found remote modules in the

same network, you can use the expand/collapse button to expand or collapse the list of remote modules under the local device.

Note This button is only enabled for local radio modules.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Organize your modules

Module information box

When you hover over the icon, XCTU displays additional information about the selected module, including module type, family, protocol, device type, firmware, and hardware.

Organize your modules

The Radio Modules view contains a toolbar with options to manage radio modules in the list. These options are only enabled when the list contains at least one radio module.

Find radio modules

Click the Find radio modules button to find local and remote radio modules in your list. For details, see Find radio modules.

Sort radio modules

Radio modules are displayed in the order in which you added them to XCTU. Click the Sort radio

modules list button to sort radio modules by name, function, serial port, or MAC address. Or

you can select a specific device and move it up/down in the list.

Note The sorting feature affects both local and remote radio modules.

Clear radio modules

Click Clear radio modules list to remove all discovered modules from the radio modules list. For more information, see Local radio modules and Remote radio modules.

Discover remote radio modules

You can execute a discovery process to locate remote radio modules in the same network as the local (selected) module. To discover remote modules:

1. Select a module from your device list. If you do not have any modules in the list, see Add a radio

XCTU User Guide

module manually or Discover local radio modules.

Add radio modules to XCTU Discover remote radio modules

Click the Discover radio nodes in the same network button . As XCTU discovers new remote radio modules, they appear in the discovery process dialog box.

3. Click Stop to halt the discovery process at any time.

4. Check the box next to the module(s) you want to add to your device list and click Add selected

devices. The discovered remote modules appear in the list of remote modules.

Note XBee Wi-Fi modules do not support the remote radio modules discovery feature. Instead, they

can look for access points.

For more information, see Remote radio modules.

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Find radio modules

Find radio modules

To find local or remote radio modules, you must have already discovered the network they are on. You can then use the Find radio modules search box to find radio modules by MAC address, name, network address, and other search expressions.

On the Radio Modules toolbar, click the Find radio modules button.

The Find radio modules search box appears.

2. Enter your search expression to find one or more modules.

For a list of search prefixes and wildcards, as well as sample searches, see Search expressions.

3. Press Enter.

The background color of the search box and search icon indicates status. Yellow indicates matches found by XCTU, and red indicates no matches. Modules found along the list are also highlighted in yellow.

Search expressions

You can enter the following search prefixes in the Find radio modules dialog box.

Search prefix Search by

MAC: (or no prefix) MACaddress

XCTU User Guide

Add radio modules to XCTU Find radio modules

Search prefix Search by

SH: Serial Number High

SL: Serial Number Low

NI: Node Identifier (only available in 802.15.4 and DigiMesh)

MY: 16-bit Network Address (only available in 802.15.4 and ZigBee)

You can also use a wildcard if you do not want to specify the entire parameter or if you want to find more than one node.

Wildcard Equals

* any string

? any character

\ escape for literals (i.e. *, ?, or \)

Sample searches:

n To search for a module with node identifier (NI) "NODE1" and network address (MY) 0831,

enter

NI:NODE1, or MY:0831

n To find all nodes whose MAC starts with 00 and ends with B, enter

MAC:00*B

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules

This section describes how to use Configuration working mode to configure your modules and change application settings once you have added a radio module or modules to your list of devices.

Configuration working mode 46 Read radio module configuration 54 Write module settings 54 Load default firmware settings 54 Update firmware 55 Work with configuration profiles 57 Search for a firmware setting 67 Configure remote modules securely 67 Configure a Wi-Fi access point 71 Enable and configure Bluetooth 73 View firmware release notes 74

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

Configuration working mode

When you launch XCTU, Configuration working mode opens as the default operating mode.

The Configuration working mode allows you to configure any radio module that has been added to your device list. When you select a module from the list, XCTU loads the firmware information of the selected radio module and displays the firmware settings in the working area. It automatically reads the values and fills in the fields.

Configuration toolbar

The Configuration toolbar presents the configuration actions you can perform with the selected radio module and firmware settings.

Button Name Description

Read module settings

Write module settings

Load default firmware settings

Update firmware

Reads the firmware settings for the selected radio module.

Writes new firmware values to the selected radio module.

Loads the default firmware values on to the selected radio module but does not write them.

Opens the Update the radio module firmware dialog, displaying available compatible firmware for the selected radio module.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

Button Name Description

Load/save configuration profile

Search Enables you to search firmware settings by AT parameter.

Expand/collapse settings

Opens the Load configuration profile or Save configuration profile dialog.

Expands or collapses all firmware settings sections.

Firmware information panel

The firmware information panel is located below the Configuration toolbar and displays information about the firmware running in the selected radio module.

Firmware settings

XCTU displays firmware settings of the radio module below the firmware information panel. They are divided into sections or categories with a short description in each. Read-only settings are displayed with a gray label.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

The following table provides descriptions for the setting controls.

Field Description

Information button

Clicking the information button displays a short description of the setting, including the default value and the valid range, if the setting is numeric.

AT parameter

Setting name

Displays the associated AT parameter of the setting. Some settings, such as actions, may not have an associated AT parameter.

In the example above, the ATparameter is SD.

Displays the name of the setting.

In the example above, the setting name is Scan Duration.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

Field Description

Setting configuration control

Units label

Value calculator icon

Contains the text box or combo box where the setting value must be entered or configured. You can hover over the text box of a numeric setting to display the valid range for that setting. Always enter numeric values in hexadecimal format (without the '0x' prefix), unless the hover text indicates that an ASCII value is required.

If the setting is configured with an invalid value, an explanation for the error appears.

Displays the units of measure for that setting. Not all settings have a units label.

In the example above, the unit is exponent.

Clicking the value calculator icon launches a time or bitfield calculator for numeric settings that are difficult to compute. The content of the calculator panel depends on the setting.

Refresh and write buttons

Setting status

XCTU delineates the status of each setting with background color and/or the color of a triangle located next to the setting value. These are the possible statuses of a setting:

XCTU User Guide

Clicking the refresh button or write button allows you to read or write the

value of the setting. Some settings, such as the read-only settings, do not have a write button.

Green triangle The value of the setting has changed but it has

not been written in the radio module yet.

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

Blue triangle The value of the setting is written in the radio

module but is different from the default value.

Gray background The value of the setting is written in the radio

module and matches the default value.

Yellow background

Indicates that the setting is highlighted because it has been found using the Search parameter control.

Red background The value of the setting is not valid.

Setting types

There are different kind of settings that you can configure in a radio firmware. Depending on the setting type they display different controls and options.

n Numeric settings: These settings must always be configured with a numeric value in

hexadecimal format (without the '0x' prefix). Hovering over the text box of a numeric setting displays the valid range for the setting. There are several types of settings:

n Text settings: Text settings are very similar to the numeric settings, but they can be

configured with hexadecimal or ASCII characters. If you hover over the text box of a text setting, a dialog displays the minimum and maximum characters and whether they must be an ASCII or hexadecimal value.

n Combo settings: A combo box displays all the possible values of the setting with symbolic text,

n Read-only settings: These settings cannot be modified. They can only be read from the radio

n Action settings: These settings can be neither read nor written. The main purpose of the

XCTU User Guide

to help you to choose the correct option.

module and their values are displayed in a label.

action settings is to execute a task or process in XCTU that implies some interaction with the

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

radio module. To learn more about the Action settings see the Special functions topic.

Special functions

Some settings within XCTU cannot be read or written. Instead, they execute tasks or processes in XCTU related to interaction with the radio module. The processes that these settings execute are called special functions. At this time, XCTU has two special functions: Active scan and Bluetooth Authentication.

Active Scan

The Active Scan function discovers and configures the access point for an XBee Wi-Fi module.

When you click the Active Scan button, XCTU reads the SSID configuration of the Wi-Fi module. If the module has an SSID already configured, you need to clear the configuration and perform a new SSID discovery. If the SSID configuration is empty, the nearby SSIDs are displayed in a new dialog.

The dialog displays all the nearby access points as well as their security protocols and signal quality. Select the Access Point you want the Wi-Fi module to connect to and, if necessary, configure the password of the Access Point. The Access Point settings also have a check box that allows you to permanently save the SSID configuration in the Wi-Fi module. If you uncheck this option, the next time you reset the module the SSID configuration is cleared.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

Click Connect to connect the Wi-Fi module to that Access Point and refresh the settings of the radio module.

Enable BLEand configure the BLEpassword

The Bluetooth Authentication function allows you to configure the security parameters of your XBee device with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)support. This step is mandatory if you want to enable Bluetooth on the module.

XBee BLE security is based on the Secure Remote Password protocol. When you click the Configure button, XCTU displays a dialog asking you to either:

1. Type a password, which you are asked for when you connect to the XBee via Bluetooth Low Energy.

2. Enter a random salt and a password verifier generated from a password and that salt (as specified in the SRP protocol).

CAUTION! Only use the advanced configuration if you are familiar with the SRP protocol. You must know the password which originated the verifier since you will be asked for it when you connect to the XBee via BLE.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configuration working mode

When you enter the password or the salt/verifier combination, click OK to save the settings to the module.

For more information about Bluetooth security, see the user guide for your XBee device.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Read radio module configuration

Read radio module configuration

You can refresh a radio module's firmware settings once you have added the module to your device list. To read a module's configuration settings:

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the device list. XCTU displays the current firmware settings for that module.

Note If the selected module is remote and the Remote AT Command password (KZ) is set, you

may be asked to enter that password in order to access the module configuration.

From the configuration toolbar, click the Read module settings button to refresh the selected radio module's firmware settings.

Write module settings

You can configure a radio module's firmware settings once you have the module to your device list. To configure a radio module:

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the device list. XCTU displays the current firmware settings for that module.

Tip To refresh the selected radio module's firmware settings, click the Read module settings

button on the configuration toolbar.

Note If the selected module is remote and the Remote AT Command password (KZ) is set, you

may be asked to enter that password in order to access the module configuration.

3. Change the value of the setting or settings to be configured.

Click the Write module settings button to write any newly configured firmware values to the module.

Load default firmware settings

You can load default radio firmware settings in a module in your device list.

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the device list. XCTU displays the current firmware settings for that module.

On the Configuration toolbar, click the Load default firmware settings button to load the default values established by the firmware.

4. Firmware settings are loaded but not written to the radio module. In order to write them in

the module, click the Write module settings button on the toolbar.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Update firmware

Update firmware

You can use XCTU to update a module's radio firmware.

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the device list.

Click the Update firmware button . A dialog box appears displaying the available and compatible firmware for the selected module.

4. Choose the firmware family, function, and version.

5. Click Update. A dialog box displays update progress. You can click the Show details button to

XCTU User Guide

Note If you do not remember the firmware version that is currently installed in your radio

module, click Select current to automatically select it.

view a detailed progress log, and Hide details to hide it.

Note During the firmware update process, XCTU attempts to obtain the module information

again, as some critical settings such as the operating mode could have changed. If the Maintain current module configuration setting is checked, XCTU writes the old configuration to the module and then reads the setting's values.

Configure your modules Update firmware

Cellular modem firmware updates

When you update the firmware of an XBee Cellular device, XCTU may need to update the modem firmware. This process is completely transparent, but XCTU requires an internet connection to download the modem firmware.

Note The system prompts you for confirmation when the device requires a modem firmware update,

as this process may take up to 30 minutes in old devices.

For newer XBee 3 Cellular devices (LTE CAT 1 and LTE-M/NB-IoT), this process is done over USB and is much faster, but only works in Windows. You need to have the appropriate USB drivers installed on your computer and either a Digi XBIB-CU-TH development board or your own hardware that makes a USB port available to a PC. Before starting the update, XCTU asks you to connect the USB micro-B cable to the USB Direct Connect port and set the switches to OFF.

Remote firmware updates

You can use XCTU to perform firmware updates on remote modules because once you add a remote module to XCTU's device list, the update process is exactly the same whether you are updating a local module or a remote module. To perform a remote firmware update, the local module must be working in API or API escaped operating mode.

Remote firmware updates can be performed on the following radio modules:

n XBee/XBee PRO SX

n XLR Module

n XBee/XBee PRO 802.15.4 (S2C module versions only)

n XBee/XBee-PRO DigiMesh 2.4 (S2C module versions only)

n XTend RF Module Family (SX module versions only)

n XLR PRO Radio Solution

n XBee/XBee-PRO ZB and Programmable XBee-PRO ZB

n XBee/XBee-PRO ZB SMT and Programmable XBee-PRO ZB SMT

n XBee-PRO 900HP and Programmable XBee-PRO 900HP

n XBee 865LP and Programmable XBee 865LP

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

n XBee 868LP SX

n XBee3 (Zigbee, DigiMesh 2.4, and 802.15.4)

Note If something goes wrong during an over-the-air firmware update on a remote module—for

example, communication is lost because the remote device is disconnected—you must perform a manual recovery. See Recover a radio module.

Bootloader updates

Some firmware versions require a specific bootloader version in order to work properly. The bootloader is the software running in the module that, among other things, launches the firmware as soon as the module boots.

The bootloader update takes place during the firmware update process. If the firmware to be flashed requires a bootloader update, XCTU updates the bootloader first and then the module's firmware.

Note The system prompts you for confirmation when the firmware requires a bootloader update, as

this process erases the configuration of the module. You must accept it in order to continue with the firmware update process. If you decline the bootloader update, the overall firmware update process is canceled.

Work with configuration profiles

A configuration profile is a snapshot of a specific radio firmware configuration, including firmware, settings values and other configuration information. XCTU allows you to create, inspect and and apply configuration profiles to the radio module. This feature is useful in a production environment when you need to set the same parameters on multiple radios.

These are the actions that XCTU allows you to perform related to configuration profiles:

n Create a configuration profile

n Apply a configuration profile

n Load and edit a configuration profile

Create a configuration profile

You can create a configuration profile from two different places within XCTU. You can either create a profile based on the configuration of an XBee device or create a profile from scratch.

Create a profile based on the configuration of an XBee device

The first way to create a profile is to create a representative model upon which to base the configuration profile and then save the profile. To do this, you need to have a radio module added in XCTU.

Note You only need to configure the values; it is not necessary to write the settings to the module.

To do so follow these steps:

2. Select a radio module from the device list.

3. Configure the radio module with your desired values.

XCTU User Guide

Switch to Configuration working mode .

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

4. Click the Configuration profile's drop-down menu on the Configuration toolbar and select Create configuration profile.

5. Create profile wizard displays.

Create a new profile from scratch

It is also possible to create a new profile without any pre-configured firmware or settings. To create a new profile from scratch:

1. Launch the Profile editor tool by selecting Profile Editor from the Tools drop-down menu on the main toolbar.

2. Click the Create button from the toolbar. The Create profile wizard displays.

In either case, the Create profile wizard displays. Follow the steps provided there to create the configuration profile.

n Create profile wizard

Create profile wizard

The Create profile wizard allows you to create a new configuration profile to be used later in XCTU or other XBee management applications. You can access this wizard either from the Profile editor tool or from the toolbar of the Configuration working mode view. See Create a configuration profile for more information.

Once the wizard is open, follow these steps to configure and create a new configuration profile:

1. In the first page of the profile you can set the profile description and the configuration features:

a. Flash radio firmware. With this setting you can decide if the profile will flash the firmware

in the XBee module or not. If you check it you can choose one of the following flash options:

i. Flash if firmware is different. Firmware is flashed in the module only if the firmware

version that the module is running is different from the one specified in the profile.

ii. Flash always. Firmware is always flashed regardless of the version running in the

device.

b. Reset module to factory defaults before applying settings. Check this option if you

want to reset the XBee module to its default values (equivalent to send an RE command) before configuring the firmware parameters.

c. Format existing file system. You can check this option to format the existing file system

of the device when applying the profile. If you choose to flash a new file system too, the format step will be performed before flashing the new file system.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

d. Flash a new file system. With this setting you can attach a file system to the profile that

will be transferred to the XBee module when applying the profile. Notice that the Format existing file system option is automatically checked when you check this one.

e. Use custom scripts. When creating a profile with this setting, you can indicate a pre-

processing script or a post-processing script, or both to be used when programming devices with XBee Multi Programmer.

n This feature allows you to write your own scripts using your own libraries or the ones

provided by Digi to interact with your XBee devices.

l Pre-processing script: This script is run before applying the profile to the XBee

device. Use it to read specific information of your device before applying the configuration profile.

l Post-processing script: This script is run after applying the profile to the XBee

device, as a final step. With it you can set specific configurations to your devices, for example, use it to set a different Node Identifier on each of your XBee devices.

Note This feature can only be used by XBee Multi Programmer. Other tools will skip

the custom scripts steps when applying a profile to an XBee device.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

2. Click Next to configure the XBee firmware of the profile. Choose the desired firmware selecting its corresponding properties:

a. Product family of the firmware.

b. Function set that determine the functionality of the firmware (mode of operation, special

sensor and adapter settings, and so forth).

c. Firmware version. The most recent firmware version appears at the top of the list.

Note If you accessed the wizard from the Configuration working mode, the firmware should already

be selected with the firmware that the XBee device is running.

3. Click Next to configure the XBee firmware parameters. This page displays all the firmware

XCTU User Guide

settings split in categories. Each configurable setting has a checkbox at the left side. Check and edit the value of those settings you want to be configured by the profile.

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

Note If you accessed the wizard from the Configuration working mode, the firmware settings

should be already checked and selected with the ones configured in the XBee device.

4. Click Next to set a file system to the profile. If the profile is configured to attach a file system— the first page of the wizard—you can use the Browse button to specify it here. Updating the file system of remote devices must be performed through a remote file system image. So, if the target firmware supports it and you want the profile to flash a file system in remote devices, you must check the Attach a remote file system image option and then specify the image using the corresponding Browse button. If the target firmware does not support OTA file system updates, the Attach a remote file system image option will not be displayed.

Note If you do not know how to obtain a remote file system image, see Update the file system of

remote devices.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

5. Click Next to set the pre and/or post scripts to be executed when flashing the profile with XBee Multi Programmer.

This feature allows you to run a script/program before and/or after applying a profile to the target device. This wizard page is split into two sections, one for the pre-processing script, and the other for the post-processing script. Depending on whether you want to run the preprocessing script or the post-processing script, or both, fill in the appropriate information on each section respectively. Each section contains fields to indicate:

a. The command to execute. Use whatever scripting language you want, but make sure it

can be used by the machine that applies the profile. For example, if the command to run is:pyhton set_node_id.py, it is mandatory that the correct Python interpreter is installed and accessible in the machine that applies the profile.

b. The maximum timeout for the script. By default, it is five minutes. This is the maximum

time XBee Multi Programmer should wait for the script to finalize its execution. When this time has passed, if the script has not finished, XBee Multi Programmer will assume your program got locked, and will stop the execution of the script returning a Timeout Exception. This parameter is specified in minutes, and its valid range of values goes from 1 to 300 minutes.

c. Optionally, the folder containing the script/program to run. This is a directory

containing the script to be run and all of the resources it might need during its execution. It

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

is not mandatory to attach any script to the profile, as long as it is accessible by the machine that applies the profile. To indicate the script/program to run, use one of the following:

n Attach the folder that contains the script to the profile. To do so, click the Browse

button of the corresponding section. Select the complete folder that contains your script—this will be the execution path. It does not matter that in order to run the script needs multiple files, as long as they are all included in the selected folder. If external resources are required by the script, make sure they are properly handled within your script, or include them in the same folder as your script so they are attached to the profile.

n Use absolute paths to call a script that already exists in the machine that will apply the

profile. The first field of each section (the command) can be called using absolute paths. Bear in mind that such script needs to handle all paths in an absolute manner, as well. In this case, the execution path will be the path where the XBee Multi Programmer was installed.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

6. When you have all the profile parameters configured, click Create profile to open the save file

7. Select the destination path and click Save to create the profile.

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dialog.

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

Apply a configuration profile

Follow these steps to apply a configuration profile to an XBee device:

Switch to the Configuration working mode .

2. Select a radio module.

Click the Configuration profiles drop-down menu on the Configuration toolbar and select Apply configuration profile.

An Open file dialog appears, asking for the configuration profile file to load.

4. Locate the configuration profile (an XPRO file) and click Open. Depending on the firmware compatibility with your radio module and the firmware flash action configured in the profile, a dialog box may appear:

n If the firmware of the configuration profile does not match the firmware running in the radio

module but is compatible with the module and the profile is configured to always flash the firmware or flash when it is different, click Yes to update the module's firmware so the profile will load correctly.

n If the firmware of the configuration profile is not compatible with the radio module, click Yes to

open the profile in the Profile editor tool.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Work with configuration profiles

n If the firmware of the configuration profile matches the firmware running in the radio module

but the profile is configured to always flash the firmware, click Yes to update the module's firmware so the profile will load correctly.

n If the firmware of the profile you are loading and the firmware running in the radio module

match or the profile is configured to don't flash the radio firmware, XCTU applies the settings saved in the profile to the radio module.

Load and edit a configuration profile

Note This topic explains how to load a configuration profile to inspect and modify it using the Profile

editor tool. For an explanation of how to apply a configuration profile in a module, see Apply a

configuration profile instead.

Follow these steps to load and inspect a configuration profile:

1. Launch the Profile editor tool by selecting Profile Editor from the Tools drop-down menu

on the main toolbar.

2. Click Load from the toolbar.

3. Look for the configuration profile (xpro extension) you want to load. Click Open.

4. The Profile editor tool loads the profile information and displays it along the different tabs of the view:

a. Configuration. Contains the configured profile features and description.

b. XBee firmware. Displays the product family, function set and version of the firmware

corresponding to the profile.

c. Firmware settings. Contains the list of firmware settings configured for the profile.

d. File system. If the profile is configured to include a file system, this tab displays its

structure.

e. Custom scripts. Displays the pre and post-processing custom scripts commands, timeout

and structure for each script, if this profile is configured to use custom scripts.

If you want to modify the firmware, change any setting you want and click Save. You can then choose between one of the following Save options:

n Save profile. Overwrites the loaded profile.

n Save as new profile... Allows you to save a new profile with the changes made in the loaded

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one.

Configure your modules Search for a firmware setting

Search for a firmware setting

The configuration toolbar includes a search box. To search for a firmware setting in the list of settings, search for the AT parameter associated with the setting. If the setting is found, it is highlighted in yellow.

Configure remote modules securely

New XBee firmware versions allow you to add extra protection layers to encrypted networks in order to prevent an intruder from hijacking a device and making changes in the network and to protect against external man-in-the middle attacks. You can use different protection methods depending on the XBee product:

n Secure session (XBee 3 only)

n Secure Remote Commands (XBee SX only)

Secure session

A secure session is a secure connection between two XBee nodes of a network—a server and a client—where the pair can send and receive encrypted data that only they can decrypt. In a secure session, the XBee devices can act as client or server:

n Client. The device that is attempting to log in and send secured data/commands.

n Server. The device that is being logged into and will receive secured data/commands.

Secure sessions provide a way to password-protect communication between two nodes on a network above and beyond the security of the network itself. With secure sessions, a device can 'log in', or create a session with another device that is encrypted and only readable by the two nodes involved. By restricting certain actions—such as remote AT commands or OTA firmware updates—to be only allowed over one of these secure sessions, you can make it so access to the network does not allow network configuration.

Note To learn more about this feature and how it works, refer to the user guide for your XBee RF

module.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configure remote modules securely

Enable and disable the secure session

The Secure session feature is enabled by default in the firmware, but you can disable it with the SR (SRP Secure Session disable) setting in order to allow the host MCU to play the authentication role instead:

n Bit 0 - Disable SRP authentication on the client side of the connection.

n Bit 1 - Disable SRP authentication on the server side of the connection.

Set all other option bits to 0.

Set the password of a secure session

For a device to act as a secure session server, it must have a password configured. The password is configured on the server in the form of a salt and verifier used for the SRP authentication process. The salt and verifier values are calculated when you set your password.

Follow these steps to configure the secure session password of the server:

Switch to the Configuration working mode .

2. Select a Secure Session capable radio module from the Radio Modules list.

3. Browse the Secure Session Authentication setting in the list of settings (inside the Secure

Session category) and click the Configure button. The Configure Secure Session Authentication dialog appears.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configure remote modules securely

4. In the Password field, type the password for the device. As you type, the Salt and Verifier fields

Configure the secured features

Secured access to the different features of the XBee device is enabled by setting bits of the SA (Secure Access Options):

n Bit 0 - Unused.

n Bit 1 - Remote AT Commands.

n Bit 2 - Over-the-air file system updates.

n Bit 3 - Over-the-air firmware updates.

n Bit 4 - Serial Data.

Set all other bits to 0.

XCTU User Guide

are automatically calculated and populated in the dialog as shown above. This is the password that will be requested when you try to configure the device remotely.

Configure your modules Configure remote modules securely

Start a secure session

XCTU detects automatically if a secure session needs to be established with a remote XBee device in order to configure or communicate with it. When this happens, XCTU displays the Secure session password dialog, where you have to enter the password configured in the remote XBee device you want to communicate with.

Secure Remote Commands

XBee SX devices include a feature in the firmware called Secure Remote Commands that allows you to protect an XBee device on the network from external configurations.

To enable the secured remote configuration, set a password with the KZ command. To do so, type the old password (0 by default), followed by a blank space and the new password. For example, if your password is 1234 and you want to change it to 7a$b3l1, you should type:

1234 7a$b3l1

After the password has been set, the Password required dialog appears when you try to configure a remote device and the password is set on your local one (KZ is not set to 0). The same dialog appears if you perform a range or throughput test with a remote device.

You must enter the password and click OK before you can configure the device.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configure a Wi-Fi access point

Note To learn more about this feature and how it works, refer to the user guide for your XBee RF

module.

Configure a Wi-Fi access point

The Active scan special function discovers and configures the access point for the XBee Wi-Fi module. The feature is only enabled for Wi-Fi modules.

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a Wi-Fi-enabled radio module from the device list.

3. Click the Active scan button. XCTU reads the SSID configuration of the Wi-Fi module.

n If the module already has an SSID configured, click Yes to clear the configuration and

perform a new SSID discovery.

n If the SSID configuration is empty, XCTU displays all nearby access points as well as

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Configure a Wi-Fi access point

their security protocols and signal quality.

4. Select the SSID you want the Wi-Fi module to connect to.

For S6 Wi-Fi modules, the table displays the following fields:

Field

SSID name Name of the access point

RSSI (dBm) RSSI of the access point (negated hex value)

Security Security type of the access point

Quality Link quality (based on the RSSI) with the access point

For S6B Wi-Fi modules, the table displays the following fields

Field

SSID name Name of the access point

Description

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules Enable and configure Bluetooth

Field

Link margin (dBm) Signal strength in dBm above sensitivity

Security Security type of the access point

Channel Channel number in use by the access point

Quality Link quality (based on the link margin) of the access point

5. If necessary, enter the password of the access point.

6. If you would like to retain the SSID configuration for future use, check Save the SSID configuration in the module.

7. Click Connect to connect the Wi-Fi module to that access point and refresh the settings of the radio module.

Description

Enable and configure Bluetooth

Some of the latest XBee3 modules support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as an extra interface for configuration. If you want to use this feature, you have to enable BLE. You must also enable security by setting a password on the XBee device in order to connect, configure, or send data over BLE.

Before you begin, you should determine the password you want to use for BLEon the XBee device and store it in a secure place. Digi recommends a secure password of at least 8 characters and a random combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Digi recommends using a security management tool such as LastPass or Keepass for generating and storing passwords for many devices.

The salt and verifier values are calculated when you set your password.

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a BLE compatible radio module from the device list.

3. Select Enabled[1] from the BT Bluetooth Enable command drop-down.

Click the Write setting button . The Bluetooth authentication not set dialog appears.

5. Click Configure in the dialog. The Configure Bluetooth Authentication dialog appears.

6. Type a password or a salt/verifier combination (as specified by the Secure Remote Password protocol—only for advanced users). When you connect the XBee device via BLE, it asks for this password (or the one that generated the verifier).

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules View firmware release notes

7. In the Password field, type the password for the device. As you type, the Salt and Verifier fields are automatically calculated and populated in the dialog as shown above. This password is used when you connect to this XBee device via BLE using the XBee Configurator app.

For more information about Bluetooth, see the user guide for your XBee device.

View firmware release notes

XCTU allows you to review the release notes of some of the firmware it hosts.

Switch to Configuration working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the device list.

Click the Update firmware button . The Update firmware dialog appears, displaying the available compatible firmware for that module.

XCTU User Guide

Configure your modules View firmware release notes

4. Select the firmware family, the firmware function, and the firmware version. If the selected

firmware has release notes, the View Release Notes button below the firmware list is enabled.

5. Click View Release Notes. A new window displays the release notes for the selected firmware.

Note You can also access the release notes of firmware via the XBee recovery tool and the Firmware

explorer tool.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules

This section describes how to use Consoles working mode to communicate with your modules once you have added a radio module or modules to your list of devices.

Consoles working mode 77 Connect and disconnect the console 79 Record a console session 80 Attach and detach the console 80 Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode 81 Communicate with modules running in AT mode 96 Console log files 104

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Consoles working mode

Consoles working mode

The Consoles working mode allows you to communicate with radio modules in the device list. When you click the Consoles working mode button on the toolbar, XCTU displays a tabbed list of consoles with one entry for each module of the devices list. Each tab is labeled with the name of the radio module and its physical address (MAC).

If you select a module from the device list, the associated console activates and moves to the front of the display. Conversely, selecting a console from the working area highlights the associated module in the device list.

The console type depends on the operating mode of the selected radio module.

n The API Console is used for radio modules working in API or API escaped operating mode. See

API console.

n The AT Console is used for radio modules working in AT (transparent) operating mode. See AT

console.

Console status

The icon in the left corner of the console tab displays the following states:

Icon Status

The console is disconnected.

The console is connected.

The console is receiving data.

The console is sending data.

The text of each tab contains the name of the radio module and its physical address (MAC). This makes it easy to identify the console corresponding to each radio module.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Consoles working mode

Consoles toolbar

All consoles have a common toolbar that allows you to connect or disconnect the console and to attach or detach it from the working area.

Button Name Description

Open

Start recording

Stop recording

Detach Detaches the console from the tabbed working area and displays it in a

Establishes communication with the radio module corresponding to the console. When the console is connected, the background color of the button changes to green and the text changes to "Close" See Connect and

disconnect the console.

The console is connected. Clicking this button disconnects the module from the console. See Connect and disconnect the console.

Records all incoming and outgoing console data as it is sent or received and saves to a console log file. The console must be connected to start or stop recording. See Record a console session.

Stops the process of saving any sent or received data. The console must be connected to start or stop recording. See Record a console session.

new floating dialog.

Line status indicator

The line status indicator displays the status of the RS-232 hardware flow control lines. Dark gray indicates that the line is asserted, while white indicates that it is de-asserted. You must open the console connection to display line status and enable line status control.

XCTU User Guide

Attach Reattaches the console to the tabbed working area.

Communicate with your modules Connect and disconnect the console

Connection open

Connection closed

You can view and manage the following lines from the line status indicator:

CTS Clear to send Indicates that the connected device is ready to accept data.

CD Carrier

Detect

DSR Data Set

Ready

DTR Data

Terminal Ready

RTS Ready to

send

BRK Break Engages the serial line break. Asserting this line places the DI line high,

Detects the presence of connection.

Indicates that the connected device is ready for communication.

Indicates that the terminal is ready for communication.

Requests that the connected device prepare to receive data.

preventing data from being sent to the radio.

Console overview

The console overview panel, located on the right side of the toolbar, displays the number of sent and received frames or bytes.

Connect and disconnect the console

The first time you open a console, it is disconnected by default.

1. Switch to Consoles working mode.

2. Select a radio module from the list.

Click the Open button to establish communication with the radio module corresponding to the console. The background color of the Open button changes to green and its text changes to Close.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Record a console session

When the console is connected, all the data traffic of the radio module is captured by the console and displayed in the corresponding controls.

To disconnect the console from the module, click the Close button . The background color of the button changes to white and its text changes to Open.

Record a console session

In the Consoles working mode, you can record all incoming and outgoing console data as it is sent or received. XCTU saves this data in a Console log file. The console must be connected to start or stop recording.

Note You can also use the Serial console tool to record console sessions. See Serial console tool.

Switch to Consoles working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the list.

Click the Open button to establish communication. The background color of the button changes to green.

Click the Start Recording button . A Save file dialog appears.

5. Specify a destination for the console log file. Data is periodically written to this log file in comma separated values (CSV) format. See Console log files.

Click the Stop Recording button to stop the process of saving sent or received data.

Note You can use the Load console session tool to load a saved console session at a later time. For

details, see Load console session tool.

Attach and detach the console

You can attach or detach the console from the working area by clicking the Attach and Detach buttons on the Console toolbar. By default, all the consoles are attached and sorted in tabs.

To detach a console from the working area, click the Detach button . The console is displayed in a floating dialog.

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Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

You can detach all the consoles to display them in multiple dialogs. This is useful if you need to see the traffic for different radio modules simultaneously.

To reattach the console view, click the Attach button or close the floating dialog containing that console.

Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

XCTU uses API frames to communicate with radio modules running in API or API escaped mode. You can use XCTU's API console to communicate with radio modules running in API or API escaped operating mode. XCTU automatically creates an API console for these modules when you switch to Consoles working mode.

API console

The API console allows you to communicate with radio modules running in API or API escaped

operating mode. To display the API console, switch to Consoles working mode and select a radio module configured with either API or API escaped operating mode. For more information, see API

operating mode and API escaped operating mode.

XCTU uses API frames to communicate with radio modules running in API mode. An API frame is an array of bytes with a specific structure defined by the API Frame Specifications. For more information, see API frames.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

API console view

Frames log

The Frames log is XCTU's API frames traffic monitor. When API frames are sent or received by the module, they are added to the Frames log. Depending on whether the frame is sent or received, the color of the frame fields is blue or red, respectively.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

Button Name Description

Configure filters

Load console session

Save console session

Lock scroll

Clear data

The Frames log displays the following properties of the transmitted and received API frames:

Field Description

Opens the Frames filtering configuration dialog.

Opens the embedded Load console session tool. For details, see Load console

session tool.

Saves the active console session in a Console log files.

Toggles the scroll behavior of the data box. If Lock scroll is enabled, the Frames log will not automatically scroll when a new frame is sent or received.

Clears the list of sent and received API frames.

Icon Displays as a right blue arrow if the API frame is sent, and as a left red arrow if it is

XCTU User Guide

received.

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

Field Description

ID Lists a numeric value given by XCTU to identify the API frame. When the list of frames is

cleared, this value is reset to 0.

Time Displays the time at which the API frame was sent or received.

Length Contains the number of bytes of the API frame.

Frame Displays the API frame type.

Frame details

Frame details appear next to the API frames table and display the decoded contents of the selected API frame.

Send frames

The Send frames section of the API Console allows you to add, manage, and send an API frame or sequence of frames.

Button Name Description

XCTU User Guide

Add new frame Adds a new API frame to the list of frames to send

Edit selected frame

Changes the name or contents of a frame

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

Button Name Description

Remove selected frame

Move up / move down

Save frames list Saves the list of frames to be used in future sessions or on

Load frames list Loads a saved list of frames

Clear the list of frames

The Send sequence dialog contains the following fields:

Field Description

Removes a frame from the list

Changes the order of frames in the list

another computer

Clears the entire frames list

Transmit interval

Repeat times

Loop infinitely

Note You can send a single frame (Send selected frame) or the configured sequence of frames (Start

sequence).

Amount of time, in milliseconds, to pause between frames. The minimum value is 0 ms and the maximum value is 60000 ms (1 minute).

Number of times the sequence should be repeated or sent. By default, this value is 1.

Sends the sequence of frames in an infinite loop.

Filter sent and received frames

You can filter by sent and received frames in the API console to focus only on specific frames. For both sent and received frames, you can show any, show all, filter by sender MAC, and filter by frame type.

Switch to Consoles working mode .

2. Select a radio module configured in API or API escaped operating mode.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

Click the Configure filters button in the Frames log area.

The Frames filtering configuration dialog appears.

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Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

4. Configure the filtering options for one or more of the following: received frames, sent frames, and frame types.

Received frames

When filtering the received frames, you have the following options:

Option Description

Show received frames

All received frames Shows all the received frames

Received from the following radio modules

To add a new MAC address:

Shows/hides received frames

Shows the received frames by source address and lists the source MAC addresses that can be filtered. You can add and remove addresses from this list at any time.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

1. Select the Received from the following radio modules option.

2. Click the Add new item button. A new dialog appears.

3. If any remote devices have been discovered for your local device, you can select the specific device from the combo box:

If no remote devices are discovered for the local device, you can enter the MAC address manually:

4. Click the Add button to add the MAC address to the list:

Sent frames

When filtering the sent frames, you have the following options:

Option Description

Show sent frames Shows/hides sent frames

All sent frames Shows all the sent frames

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

Option Description

Sent to the following radio modules

Note You can add a MAC address to the list by following the steps in Received frames.

Shows the sent frames by destination addresses and lists the source MAC addresses that can be filtered.

Frame types

When filtering frames by type, you can select or deselect the desired frame types. By default all frame types but the Invalid frame are selected. You can also use the following buttons:

Option Description

Select all Checks all the frame types

Deselect all Unchecks all the frame types

Add an API frame

If you want to send an API frame either individually or as part of a series, you first need to create the API frame:

Switch to Consoles working mode .

2. Select a radio module from the list.

In the Send frames area, click the Add new frame to the list button .

The Add API frame to the list dialog appears.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

4. Enter a name for the frame.

5. Create the frame by doing one of the following:

n Enter the byte array of the API frame.

n Click the Create frame using ‘Frames Generator’ tool button to open the Frames

Generator tool. Then, configure the frame and click OK. For more information, see

Frames generator tool.

Your generated frame appears in the API frame.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

6. Click the Add frame button to add the API frame to the list of frames to send.

7. Repeat the steps to add additional API frames.

When finished, you can Send a single API frame and Send a sequence of API frames.

Manage API frames

Once you add an API frame to the list, you can perform the following actions. For instructions on adding a frame, see Add an API frame.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

Edit a frame

Select the frame and click the Edit selected frame button .

2. Do one of the following:

XCTU User Guide

n Manually edit the frame name and content.

n Click Edit frame using 'Frames Generator' tool to edit the content of the frame within

the tool.

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

3. Click Apply changes.

Remove a frame

To remove a frame from the frames list, select the frame and click the Remove selected frame

button .

Change the order of the frames list

If your list of API frames contains more than one frame, you can change the order of the frames.

Select an API frame and then click Move up or Move down to change the position of the frame in the list.

Save a list of frames

You can save a list of frames for use in future XCTU sessions.

Click the Save frames list button . A Save file dialog box appears.

2. Specify a name and path for the API frames list XML file, and click Save.

Note XCTU also saves the sending configuration.

Load a saved list of frames

You can load a previously saved list of API frames.

Click the Load frames list button . A Load file dialog box appears.

2. Select the saved API frame list XML file and click Open.

Note XCTU also loads the sending configuration.

Clear the frames list

To clear the list of API frames, click the Clear list button .

Send a single API frame

After you have added at least one frame to the Send frames area, you can send a single API frame to the console's corresponding radio module. For instructions on adding a frame, see Add an API frame.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

1. In the API Console, select a frame in the Send frames area.

2. Click Send selected frame. The sent frame appears in the Frames log area.

For more information, see Send a sequence of API frames.

Send a sequence of API frames

After you have added at least two APIframes to the Send frames area, you can send a sequence of API frames to a radio module running in API mode. For instructions on adding a frame, see Add an API

frame.

An API frame sequence contains the list of frames to send as well as configured information about the way the frames will be sent.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in API or API escaped mode

1. In the Send sequence area of the API console, configure the following options:

n Transmit interval: Specify the amount of time, in milliseconds, to pause between

frames. The minimum value is 0ms and the maximum value is 60000ms (1 minute).

n Repeat times: Select this option to specify the number of times the sequence should be

repeated or sent. By default, this value is 1.

n Loop infinitely: Select this option to send the sequence of frames in an infinite loop.

2. Click Start sequence. XCTU sends all frames in the Send frames list. Sent and received frames appear in the Frame logs area.

3. The process could end by itself, but you can click Stop sequence at any time to halt transmission.

For more information, see Send a single API frame.

Save an API console session

You can save the API console session, containing the list of sent and received API frames, by clicking the Save console session button.

Switch to Consoles working mode .

2. Select a radio module running in API or API escaped operating mode from the list.

3. Connect the console.

4. Generate some traffic.

5. Click the Save console session button in the Frames log view. The Save file dialog appears.

6. Designate a filename and path for the console session file.

7. Click Save.

Note You can load an API console session using the Load console session tool. See Load console

session tool.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in AT mode

Communicate with modules running in AT mode

You can use XCTU's ATconsole to communicate with radio modules running in AT operating mode. XCTU automatically creates an AT console for these modules when you switch to Consoles working mode.

AT console

The ATconsole allows you to communicate with radio modules running in AT (transparent) operating mode. To display the ATconsole, switch to Consoles working mode and select a radio module configured with AT operating mode.

In the ATconsole, communication with the device is direct. All the data you send through the serial interface is queued for transmission by the module, and all data received by the module is sent through the serial interface. AT console view

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in AT mode

Console log

The Console log operates as a data traffic monitor. It displays all sent (blue) and received (red) data characters. Sent and received data is appended at the bottom of the data box. The right-hand side of the Console log displays corresponding hexadecimal values for all sent and received data characters.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in AT mode

Button Name Description

Show/hide hexadecimal

Load console session

Save console session

Lock scroll Toggles the scroll behavior of the data box. If Lock scroll is enabled, the data

Clear data Clears all data characters, as well as their hexadecimal representation,

When operating in AToperating mode, XCTU does not require that you use structured data to communicate with a radio module. Communication with the device is direct. Type directly in the data box and the characters you enter are automatically sent to the radio module.

Note To insert CR/LF, CR or LF characters, right click on the ASCII panel of the Console log and select

the appropriate option from the context menu. It is also possible to configure the default behavior when you press the ENTER key. For more information about configuring default behavior, see Set

console preferences.

Toggles hexadecimal view.

Opens the embedded Load console sessions tool. See Load console session

tool.

Saves the active console session in a Console log files.

box will not automatically scroll when a new data character is sent or received.

from the data box.

Send packets

The Send packets section of the AT Console allows you to add and manage data packets. You can send a data packet—one or more groups of characters—to a radio module in your device list. When you type in the data box, XCTU sends the data as individual characters. Sending a data packet sends all of the characters in a single operation.

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in AT mode

Button Name Description

Add new packet Adds a packet to the list of packets to send

Edit selected packet

Remove selected packet

Move up / move down

Save packets list Saves the list of packets to be used in future sessions or on

Load packets list Loads a saved list of data packets

Clear the list of packets

Changes the name or contents of a data packet

Removes a data packet from the list

Changes the order of packets in the list

another computer

Clears the entire packet list

The Send sequence dialog contains the following fields:

Field Description

Transmit interval

Repeat times

Loop infinitely

Note You can send a single packet (Send selected packet) or the configured sequence of packets

(Start sequence).

For more information, see Consoles working mode and AT operating mode.

Amount of time, in milliseconds, to pause between data packets. The minimum value is 0ms and the maximum value is 60000ms (1 minute).

Number of times the sequence should be repeated or sent. By default, this value is 1.

Sends the sequence of data packets in an infinite loop.

Add a data packet

When a module is operating in AT mode, you can send data byte by byte, or you can send a set of bytes—a data packet. To send a data packet, you must first create one. By default, the data packets

XCTU User Guide

Communicate with your modules Communicate with modules running in AT mode

list is empty.

From the AT console, click the Add new packet button in the Send packets dialog. The Add new packet dialog appears.

2. Enter the name of the data packet to be added to the list.

3. Type in your data. You can use the tabs to toggle between ASCII and HEX input views.

4. Click Add packet. The data packet appears in the list of packets. Repeat the operation to add

XCTU User Guide

100

Digi XCTU User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Download and install XCTU

XCTU requirements

Operating systems

System requirements

Supported RF modules

Install XCTU - Windows

XCTU updates

Install XCTU - Linux

XCTU updates

Install XCTU - OSX

XCTU updates

Optional: Manually install USB drivers

Install USB drivers for cellular modems

Drivers for XBee 3 Cellular LTE CAT 1

Drivers for XBee 3 Cellular LTE-M/NB-IoT

RF concepts and terminology

RF modules

XBee RF modules

XTend RF modules

XLR PRO radio solutions

Radio firmware

Radio communication protocols

Radio module operating modes

AT operating mode

API operating mode

API escaped operating mode

API frames

AT settings or commands

Configuring in AT mode

Configuring in API mode

Local radio modules

Remote radio modules

XCTU overview

Menu bar

Main toolbar

Devices list

Working area

Status bar

XCTU preferences

Appearance

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Consoles

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Network

Radio firmware library

XCTU working modes

Configuration working mode

Consoles working mode

Network working mode

Add radio modules to XCTU

Add a radio module manually

Add a programmable radio module

Discover local radio modules

Radio module information panel

Module Icon

New firmware indicator

Remove a radio module

Expand/Collapse radio modules list

Module information box

Organize your modules

Find radio modules

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Discover remote radio modules

Find radio modules

Search expressions

Configure your modules

Configuration working mode

Configuration toolbar

Firmware information panel

Firmware settings

Setting status

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Special functions

Read radio module configuration

Write module settings