Description of the Z Wave Zniffer development tool used for detecting RF
communication in a Z Wave network. The tool is used during SW application
development for debugging etc.
This document is the property of Silicon Labs. The data contained herein, in whole or in
part, may not be duplicated, used or disclosed outside the recipient for any purpose. This
restriction does not limit the recipient's right to use information contained in the data if it
is obtained from another source without restriction.
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REVISION RECORD
Doc.
Rev
DateByPages
affected
Brief description of changes
1
20031126
JFR
All
Initial draft
2
20051004
TKR
MVO
All
All
Added 40kbps support and various GUI enhancements
New 1st page/header/footer contents. New Doc No.
2
20070301
JRM
JFR
Section 4
GUI description and installation updated
3
20070820
IHM
All
Getting Started section has been updated.
New features (Duty Cycle Watcher, Frame Flow Diagram, Filters) have been
described.
3
20070830
IHM
All
Changes according to Product Specification of Zniffer and XML Editor
enhancements. RSSI section has been removed.
3
20070903
IHM
All
New features (Statistics Summary, toolbar buttons, Properties dialog) have been
added
3
20070927
IHM
All
Figures/screenshots have been updated.
Chapter “3. Getting Started” has been revised.
Chapter “5. Capturing live RF traffic” has been enlarged.
4
20071119
IHM
All
Some missing topics in chapter 5 “Capturing live RF traffic”, chapter 7 “Working
with captured packets” and chapter 8 “Statistics” have been restored.
New topic “Working with encrypted frames” has been added to chapter 7
“Working with captured packets”.
5
20071119
IHM
All
Broken cross-references have been manually fixed.
6
20071228
IHM
All
Some missing abbreviations have been added.
More details about the content of Developer’s Kit CD. More details for the
installation procedure. New “Troubleshoot …” sections have been created.
Many updates of User interface (menu, toolbar and dialogs). New section with
“Keyboard shortcut” has been added. “Preferences” section has been revised.
More details have been added to all file-related actions, especially to “Export to
text file” and “Merge files”. New “File Properties” section has been added.
More details have been added to “Highlighting frames”. “Filter” section has
been enhanced.
Most of the “Statistics” chapter has been re-written.
7
20110519
DDA
All
Revised document to cover all available features
8
20121207
DDA
Section 7.9
RSSI description added.
9
20130514
MVO
All
Replaced first section and updated headers/footers
9
20130530
DDA
All
Revised document to cover all available features
Removed reference to SDK CD
10
20150914
SRO
All
Update all screenshots
Update installation path
Added Figure 13. Open Large Trace
11
20160128
SRO; VSA
3.1
4.2.5
4.2.6
7.5
7.10
Added Windows 10 as compatible OS
Added: Tools menu
Added: Help menu
Updated: load keys from file, show key after decrypt
Added: Debug output
12
20160726
VSavostianenko
3.2.2
Added: Installation of Silicon Labs ZWave programming interface
13
20180306
BBR
All
Added Silicon Labs template
14
20180531
VSavostianenko
3.1
Updated required .NET Framework version
14
20180531
VSavostianenko
All
Update all screenshots
14
20180531
VSavostianenko
3.2.1
Clarified step 7 and removed steps 8 and 9
14
20180531
VSavostianenko
All
Removed redundant screenshots
14
20180531
VSavostianenko
4.3
Updated Table
15
20190315
JFR
All
Fixed page numbers
16
20190325
SRO
3.2.2
Added missing figure
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17
20190923
seroman1
4.8
All
Added section
Update screenshots
18
20200615
seroman1
1
Added US_LR, PTI, WSTK abbreviation
18
20200615
seroman1
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Update screenshots
18
20200616
seroman1
3.2
Update sections
18
20200617
seroman1
3.4,5.2,5.3,7.9
Added section related to WSTK board
19
20200625
seroman1
3.4.2
Added how to configure IP Address for the WSTK board
20
20200828
vosavost
3.3
Updated startup description and added CLI arguments
21
20201124
vosavost
3.4.2
Updated ‘PTI Firmware update’section
22
20201130
Scbrowni
All
Tech Pubs review for all sections add or revised since the document was last
publish at Revision 13
2.3Audience and Prerequisites...............................................................................................................2
3GETTING STARTED ........................................................................................................................3
3.1Check the Prerequisites.....................................................................................................................3
3.2Install the Zniffer ...............................................................................................................................3
6.2Save a File ........................................................................................................................................24
6.3Add a Comment to the Trace ..........................................................................................................25
6.4Open Files Saved in older Zniffer Formats.......................................................................................25
7WORKING WITH CAPTURED PACKETS..........................................................................................26
7.1Navigation within Frames................................................................................................................26
7.1.1Navigation with Go To Line Dialog ........................................................................................26
7.1.2Navigation with Find Frame Dialog .......................................................................................26
Figure 5. Status bar....................................................................................................................................19
Figure 13. Open Large Trace......................................................................................................................33
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1Abbreviations
Abbreviation
Explanation
ANZ
Australia and New Zealand, 921.42 MHz frequency
COM
Serial port interface on IBM PC-compatible computers
EU
European Union, 868.42 MHz frequency
HEX
Intel HEX is a file format for conveying binary information for applications like
programming microcontrollers, EEPROMs, and other kinds of chips
HK
Hong Kong, 919.82 MHz frequency
ID
Identification number
IL
Israel
IN
India, 865.22 MHz frequency
JP
Japan, 950.95 MHz frequency
KR
South Korea
MY
Malaysia, 868.2 MHz frequency
NaN
Not a number
PC
Personal computer
PTI
Packet Trace Interface
RF
Radio Frequency
RSSI
Received Signal Strength Indicator
SDK
Software Developer’s Kit
SW
Software
TF
Test Frequency
US
United States, 908.42 MHz frequency
US_LR
United States, Long Range
USB
Universal Serial Bus, a serial bus standard to interface devices
WSTK
Wireless Starter Kit
XML
Extensible Markup Language
RU
Russia, 869.2 MHz frequency
2Introduction
2.1What is Z-Wave Zniffer
The Z-Wave Zniffer application is a development tool for capturing Z-Wave RF communication and
presenting the frames in a graphical user interface on a PC. The tool shows the node ID of the Source
and Destination for the communication, the type of frame [2] being sent, and the application content,
i.e. the specific command, which is being sent.
The Zniffer tool listens passively to the Z-Wave network traffic and will only display the RF
communications taking place within direct RF range. Be aware that Zniffer can occasionally miss RF
communication even from Z-Wave nodes within direct range.
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2.2Purpose
The purpose of this document is to describe the Z-Wave Zniffer development tool used during SW
application development for debugging, etc.
2.3Audience and Prerequisites
The audience is external R&D software application programmers.
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3Getting Started
3.1Check the Prerequisites
The .NET Framework 4.6.1 or later should be installed on the machine that you need to run Z-Wave
Zniffer Windows application.
Limitation: Z-Wave Zniffer has been tested on Windows 10. The PC application is a ‘desktop
application’.
Important: Make sure you have the latest service pack and critical updates for the version of Windows
that you are running.
3.2Install the Zniffer
3.2.1Install Application
1. Run “.msi” installer file. Follow the instructions.
2. Please note the copyright notification on the welcome page and click Next button.
3. Select the installation folder. Please note that it is recommended one does not move the Zniffer
application manually after it has been installed into the above specified folder. When done,
click Next. Then follow the installation procedure. The actual installation procedure will pass
with a progress indicator. After the final confirmation appears, click Close to complete the
installation.
3.2.2Install Programming Driver
Skip this section if you do not have a 500 series USB Sniffer stick.
1. Exit all programs.
2. Install driver with name “zw05xxprg.inf” in the “<drive name>\SDK\Tools\PC
Programmer\PC\ZW050x_USB_Programming_Driver” from file context menu.
To update Zniffer firmware one must install the “Sigma Designs ZWave programming interface” driver.
If the driver is installed and the Zniffer update fails or does not start, try to repeat the previous steps
after successfully removing the ZWave programming interface from device manager.
1. Open Device Manger.
2. Expand Ports (COM & LTP) in tree.
3. Check Show hidden devices in Main Menu -> View to enable view of unconnected “Sigma Designs ZWave programming interface”.
4. Select any “Sigma Designs ZWave programming interface” and run uninstall from context menu
(Figure 1 below).
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Figure 1. Device Manager. Ports list.
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3.3Start the Zniffer Application
To open Z-Wave Zniffer, click its icon shown on the desktop. If you do not see its icon there, type
“Zniffer” in the windows search input.
Each time you start Z-Wave Zniffer, you are actually running the %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Silicon Labs\Z-Wave Zniffer 4 \ZWaveZnifferUI.exe executable file (default installation location), although you do not
usually type its name or even see it.
Another way to start the Zniffer application is possible from CLI using arguments:
-ZWaveZnifferUI.exe <trace file>
-ZWaveZnifferUI.exe <trace file> -f <freq>
-ZWaveZnifferUI.exe -t <trace file> -f <freq>
Where –f <freq> is parameter to set frequency and –t <trace file> is destination to trace file. If
parameters are not set will be used defaults, for the frequency, it is last used and for trace - temporary
file.
After the application has started it tries to initialize a connected device by the next algorithm:
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Figure 2. Z-Wave Zniffer Startup Flow
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3.4Quick-Start Guide
commander.exe adapter ip -s 440155278
commander.exe adapter ip -s 440155278 --dhcp
commander.exe adapter ip -s 440155278 --addr 192.168.2.102/24
3.4.1Using 500 series module with Zniffer firmware
Steps:
1. Flash the appropriate hex file to a Z-Wave module. Refer to [1] for instructions on how to do
this. Connect the Z-Wave module / Z-Wave Interface module to a COM/USB port on your PC.
2. Open Z-Wave Zniffer.
3. Select the COM port in the ‘Capture’ – ‘Port Selection’ sub-menu or from the port selection
dropdown list on the toolbar. You may also check the Frequency Selection item.
4. To start capturing the RF traffic, click the Start button at the toolbar or press F5 key on your
keyboard.
5. To save your log file, click the Save button at the toolbar or press Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut on
your keyboard, type a name for the file in the Save As box, and then click Save.
3.4.2Using WSTK board with PTI firmware
In order to use WSTK board it must be configured to use IP Address. If you have DHCP server in your
network, then the WSTK board automatically receives the IP Address, otherwise configure static IP
address like:
Configure static IP address for the ethernet adapter (example: 192.168.2.100).
Configure static IP address of the WSTK board using Simplicity Commander (example
192.168.2.101). You can do this using Simplicity Commander in GUI mode or command line
commands. Example for WSTK board with USB serial number = 440155278
oGet IP configuration:
oSet DHCP mode:
oSet static IP Address:
The adapter must be restarted to acquire a new IP address.
Steps:
1. Install 700 series module (ZGM130S) on the WSTK board. Run Simplicity Commander[4] and
program it with PTI enabled application (Example of the PTI enabled application – ZnifferPTI, Z-Wave ZnifferPTI US_LR Region 7.xx.x, placed in Simplicity Studio v5 ‘Example Project and
Demos’)
2. Make sure you can connect to the WSTK board with its IP Address using Simplicity Commander.
3. Open Z-Wave Zniffer.
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4. Select the IP address of the WSTK board in the ‘Capture’ – ‘Port Selection’ sub-menu or from
the port selection dropdown list on the toolbar.
5. To start capturing the RF traffic, click the Start button at the toolbar or press F5 key on your
keyboard.
6. To save your log file, click the Save button at the toolbar or press Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut on
your keyboard, type a name for the file in the Save As box, and then click Save.
3.5Auto Update 500 series module Zniffer Firmware
When you connect to the 500 series Zniffer USB stick or Z-Wave module with outdated Zniffer
firmware, the start capturing trace update firmware dialog appears:
1. Click OK and the latest firmware programing update will be started. After successfully updating
the firmware, the sniffer capture will be started.
2. If the programming update process fails, a notification dialog will open. In this case, use the PC
Programmer application to update sniffer module firmware. Refer to [1] for instructions on how
to do this.
3.6Remove Z-Wave Zniffer
You can uninstall Z-Wave Zniffer from your computer if you no longer use it.
1. Open Apps and Features in Control Panel.
2. Click the program in the list and then click the Uninstall button. You can sort programs by
electing different options in Sort by.
3. Z-Wave Zniffer and its settings will be completely removed without prompting you further.
3.7Troubleshoot Installation Problems
Here are solutions to some common problems with installing Z-Wave Zniffer.
3.7.1Installation Stops without .NET Framework
This is caused by lack of the .NET Framework which is the required component as is described in section
3.1 “Check the prerequisites”. Please install the latest .NET Framework from Microsoft web site and run
the setup again.
3.7.2Installation Stops with an Error Message
This is caused by a previous version of Z-Wave Zniffer that is already installed on your computer and
cannot be automatically removed. To see the details for this error, click the Details button. It displays
the reason for this error:” Another version of this product is already installed. Installation of this
version cannot continue. To configure or remove the existing version of this product, use Add/Remove
Programs on the Control Panel.”
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If you have encountered this problem, uninstall the previous version using standard Windows tools and
then start the installation of the new version again. For more details see section 3.6 “Remove Z-Wave
Zniffer”.
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4User Interface
4.1Layout of the Zniffer Main Window
Figure 3 shows Z-Wave Zniffer as it usually looks after some frames are captured or loaded from the
previously saved file.
Figure 3. Z-Wave Zniffer Main Application Window
Z-Wave Zniffer main window has the same basic parts as other Windows applications:
Title bar displays the name of the program. It may also display the name of opened/saved log
file.
Menu bar contains items that you can click to make choices in a program. See Section 4.2
“Menu Bar”.
Toolbar— The row of buttons, which represent tasks you can do within a program. It provides
quick access to common tasks frequently accessed from the menus. See Section 4.3 “The
Toolbar”.
Frame List pane displays all captured frames with summary information about every frame. By
clicking on any frame/row in this pane you control what is displayed in the other parts. See
Section 4.5 “Frame List Pane”.
Frame Details window displays one frame selected in the packet list pane in more detail. See
Section 0 “Frame Details window” below.
Statusbar shows some detailed information about the current program state and the captured
data. See Section 4.7 “The Status Bar”.
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4.2Menu Bar
Menu Item
Keyboard Shortcut
Description
New
Ctrl+N
Clear the current log and initiate a new one and create a
file for it.
Open
Ctrl+O
Opens a standard File Open dialog to open the saved log
and connect to it in real time.
Save
Ctrl+S
Saves the current trace to a file.
Save Fragment
Enables the user to save selected or filtered items.
Trace Comment
Add a comment to a trace.
Reload Command
Classes XML File
Reload the Command Classes XML file, if required. See
section 7.8 “Editing the Command Classes XML file”.
Exit
Exits the application.
On top of the main window is the application menu. It has the following items:
4.2.1File Menu
This menu contains options to create new, open, save capture files, and to quit from Z-Wave Zniffer.
The File menu has the following items:
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4.2.2Edit Menu
Menu Item
Keyboard
Shortcut
Description
Copy
Ctrl+C
Copies the values of the selected frame into the clipboard.
Select All
Ctrl+A
Selects all elements in the current window (usually all frames).
Highlight
Sub-menu with the items to operate the highlighted
rows/frames.
Highlight
by Source
Highlights all frames/rows with the same Source node ID as
the selected one.
Highlight
by Destination
Highlights all frames/rows that has the same Destination node
ID as the selected one.
Highlight by Source and
Destination
Highlights all frames/rows sent between the nodes shown as
Source and Destination node of the selected one.
Clear Highlighting
Removes the active highlighting.
Go to line number
Ctrl+G
Shows a dialog box where the user can enter a line number.
The Frame List will then change to this line.
Find
Ctrl+F
Shows a search dialog box to navigate within the visible
frames in the Frame List.
The Edit menu has these items:
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4.2.3View Menu
Menu Item
Keyboard
Shortcut
Description
Frame Details
Shows/hides the Frame Details window. For more details see
Section “Frame Details Window” below.
Show Grid Lines
Shows/hides table grid lines.
Size All Columns to Fit
Automatically adjust the width of all columns in the Frame List
for the best appearance.
Toggle Colors
Switches on and off the foreground and background colors for
all trace items.
All Frame Types
Shows/hides all known frame types including Serial Api
commands stored to PC Controller communication trace.
Network Load Trace
Shows/hides network load view.
Drop Filter
Clears all the active display filter conditions.
Toggle Filter
Applies/Hides the current display filter while leaving it active.
Add Watch
Ctrl+Shift+W
Add new Watch window. See Section 7.5 “Watch”.
The View menu has these sub items:
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4.2.4Capture Menu
Menu Item
Keyboard
Shortcut
Description
Detect Zniffer Modules
Detect Zniffer modules connected to available serial ports.
Port Selection
The Port Selection sub-menu allows you to select which serial
port your Zniffer hardware (Z-Wave Module programmed
with sniffer embedded application) is connected to. This menu
contains only the serial ports that are installed on your
computer and your menu may vary. There is a check mark
next to the selected serial port.
Frequency Selection
This menu will show you a list of frequencies supported by the
Zniffer device currently connected to the PC.
Becomes active only after start of the trace.
Click on the frequency to select it.
Rescan Serial Ports
Rescan available serial ports.
Start
F5
Starts the capture using the Sniffer connected to the selected
port at the selected frequency
Pause
Ctrl+Shift+P
Pauses capture. Capture can be resumed.
Stop
Ctrl+Shift+S
Stops capture. A new capture can be started only.
The Capture menu has these sub items:
4.2.5Tools Menu
The Tools Menu has these sub items:
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Menu Item
Keyboard
Shortcut
Description
Debug Port Selection
To connect to debug port.
4.2.6Help Menu
Menu Item
Keyboard
Shortcut
Description
About
Shows information about application
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4.3The Toolbar
Menu Item
Description
New
Creates new log and creates a file for it.
Open
Opens the previously saved Zniffer log file. See Section 6.1 “Open File”.
Save
Saves the current log into a file.
Trace Comment
Adds comment to a trace.
Start
Starts the capture.
Pause
Pauses capture.
Stop
Stops the capture.
Restart
Restarts current capture.
Reload Command
Classes XML file
Reloads the Command Classes XML file, if required. See section 7.8
“Editing the Command Classes XML file.”
Add Watch
Adds new Watch window. See Section 7.5 “Watch.”
Go to line number
Navigates to the frame with the given Line No.
Find Specific line
Opens a dialog to find a frame with specific characteristics.
Drop Filter
Clears all the display filter conditions.
Toggle Filter
Applies/Hides the current display filter while leaving it active.
Zoom
Changes the font size in the frame list pane.
Auto Scroll
Clicks to start and stop automatically scrolling to last trace items in the
Frame List.
Port
The dropdown list selector of the serial port for the application to run
on.
Detect Zniffer Modules
Detects Zniffer modules connected to available serial ports.
Frequency
Selects working frequency.
The toolbar is located directly below the main menu. It contains the following controls:
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4.4Keyboard Shortcuts
Press This Key
To Do This
CTRL+C
Copies the selected item to Windows Clipboard.
CTRL+A
Selects all items in a window (usually all frames in Frame List pane).
CTRL+N
Clears the current log and initiates a new one.
CTRL+O
Opens a standard File Open dialog to open the saved log.
CTRL+S
Saves the current trace to a file.
ALT+F4
Exits the application.
ESC
Cancels the current task (close active dialog).
F5
Starts the capture using the Sniffer connected to the selected port at the
selected frequency.
CTRL+SHIFT+P
Pauses capture. Captures can be resumed.
CTRL+SHIFT+S
Stops capture. A new capture can be started only.
CTRL+G
Shows a dialog box where the user can enter a line number.
The Frame List will then change to this line.
CTRL+F
Shows a search dialog box to navigate within the visible frames in the Frame
List.
CTRL+SHIFT+W
Adds new Watch window.
The following table contains the keyboard shortcuts.
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4.5Frame List Pane
Column Name
Description
Line No.
The line number for the frame.
Date
The date when the frame has been captured.
Time
The time when the frame has been captured.
Speed
Transmission rate: 9600 bits per second or 40 kilobit per second.
RSSI
RSSI value as measured by the node.
Channel
Channel in use by the node.
Delta
Time since that last frame was captured, in milliseconds.
Source
Node ID of the source device. If frame is being routed, the following format is used:
xx(yy) where, xx is the node forwarding the frame from original node yy.
Destination
Node ID of the destination device(s). If frame is being routed, the following format
is used: xx(yy) where, xx is the node forwarding the frame to ultimately reach yy.
Home ID
The unique ID of the Z-Wave network where the frame originated.
Data
Frame type, that is whether it is a Singlecast, Multicast, Broadcast, or acknowledge
frame and whether it is routed or not. In case of routed frames the following
format is added: xx(yy)->zz, where xx is the node forwarding the frame, yy the
original sender and zz the destination.
Application
Information about the application part of the frame.
Attention! The values for this column are taken from the frame using the data from
XML file.
Hex Data
Hex Dump of the entire frame.
The frame list pane is a table that enlists all the captured or opened frames. Right-click on pane to
configure which of following columns to show in grid:
To automatically fit the width of all columns for the best appearance with the current display font
settings and window size, click Auto size Columns button at the toolbar.
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4.6Frame Details Window
In the window below the Frame List pane, you can see the Frame Details with all the details about the
currently selected frame.
Figure 4. Frame Details Window
Zniffer parses the frames captured from RF using XML files (format R1) generated by the Z-Wave XML
Editor [3]. In addition, the Z-Wave XML Editor allows the customer to define command classes under
development or proprietary command class structures and, thereby, enables interpretation in the
Zniffer tool.
To show/hide the Frame Details window, click the View menu, then click Frame Details or the arrow
button in the window top.
4.7The Status Bar
Figure 5. Status bar
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In the status bar on the bottom, you can see status information:
Area
Description
Frames: N (X frames/sec; Y B/sec)
Total count of the frames that have been captured in the log and
the average data speed.
Line: N
Line number of the current frame.
Selected Count: X Timespan: Y
Quantity of selected frames and the total time span of these
selected frames calculated on basis of Delta values.
Is Filtered: False/True
Status of the current display filter. It displays “Filtered: True” if
some display is active or “Filtered: False” if display filter is inactive
or display conditions are empty.
Note! After starting to capture the traffic, you may see an empty
Frame List pane while traffic is coming. Check the Filtered state at
the status bar to make sure you have no display filter that prevents
frames from being displayed in the Frame List.
Port: X
Active Port selection.
Frequency: X
Active Frequency selection.
4.8Network Load Trace View
Figure 6 Network Load Trace
The network load trace view shows frames per second for a time slice of 10 seconds. Click on an item to
navigate to the desired network load in trace. The network load trace automatically updates every 10
seconds showing the average frames per second rate.
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5Capturing Live RF Traffic
5.1Introduction
Capturing live Z-Wave network RF messages is one of the major features of Z-Wave Zniffer.
The Zniffer capture engine provides the following features:
Captures messages from all Z-Wave devices within direct RF range.
Stops the capture on different triggers like capture duration, captured number of frames, size
of log file.
Simultaneously shows decoded frames while continuing to capture.
5.2Prerequisites
To capture the Z-Wave network RF communication you need to set environment depending on the
available hardware.
5.2.1Using 500 series module with Zniffer Firmware
You need the following items:
Z-Wave module. ZW050x based Z-Wave module is recommended. This module supports
9.6 kbps, 40 kbps, and 100 kbps RF communication.
Firmware in a correct HEX file to be flashed for running the Sniffer on the Z-Wave module.
Sniffer_ZW050x.hex is needed for the recommended Z-Wave module.
Available COM or USB port with properly connected Z-Wave module.
5.2.2Using WSTK board with PTI firmware
You need the following items:
WSTK board configured to use IP Address. (See 3.4.2)
ZGM130S module
ZnifferPTI firmware in a correct HEX file to be flashed for running on the ZGM130S module.
To check or select the COM port (or IP address in case of PTI) where the Z-Wave Zniffer application will
look for a Z-Wave module with Sniffer firmware connected, do the following:
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5.3.1Using 500 series module with Zniffer Firmware
1. Under the Capture menu, select Detect Zniffer Modules (or click the corresponding button on
the toolbar)
2. After this, select the proper COM port in the port selection sub-menu or from the port selection
dropdown list on the toolbar. If any port is connected to a Z-Wave device, then it also displays
some system information for that device – firmware version and revision.
3. Select an appropriate frequency region in the sub-menu that appears or from the frequency
selection drop down list on the toolbar.
4. Start a trace.
5.3.2Using WSTK board with PTI firmware
1. Select the proper IP Address in the port selection sub-menu or from the port selection
dropdown list on the toolbar.
2. No frequency selection available. It depends on the PTI firmware region frequency.
3. Start a trace.
5.4Start Capturing
To start capturing the RF communication of Z-Wave network, click the Start button at the toolbar. Or
press F5 key on your keyboard. Or click Capture menu, and then click Start item.
Any existing trace will be cleared, and a new trace will be started.
If Start action is initiated after the Pause action, then:
the capture will continue (resume) without clearing the capture
the Delta for the first frame is zero
5.5Pause Capturing
Pause action interrupts the capturing RF communication of the Z-Wave network. To pause capturing,
click the Pause button at the toolbar, or press Ctrl+Shift+P shortcut on your keyboard, or click Capture
menu and then click Pause.
5.6Stop Capturing
Stop action stops the capturing RF communication of Z-Wave network without the possibility of
continuing the capture. To stop capturing, click the Stop button at the toolbar, or press Ctrl+Shift+S
shortcut on your keyboard, or click Capture menu and then click Stop item.
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5.7Saving the Trace to a File on-the-Fly
To start saving the trace into a file, use the Create New Trace option. Use File > New from the main
menu or Create New Trace from the toolbar. Browse for the file name. You will be asked to Save As
your trace before starting the capture.
5.8Troubleshoot Capturing Frames
Here are solutions to some common problems with capturing the frames in Z-Wave Zniffer.
5.8.1Capture Starts but Frame List is Empty
This could be caused by these typical reasons:
The capture interface has not been selected or the wrong port and/or frequency has been
selected. Check the current interface selection using the information that the Status bar
displays on the right.
Make sure you have selected the correct COM port and frequency before stating the capture.
Use the Capture menu to change the interface selection.
Display Filter is applied. The frames are coming but Frame List is empty because all the frames
are filtered out. Check the current status of Display Filter by using an icon in the Header bar.
To fix this temporarily, de-activate the filter using the Toggle Filter button at the toolbar or
drop the filter, if you don’t need it anymore by using the Drop Filter button at the toolbar.
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6File Input/Output
6.1Open File
1. To open any previously saved log file, click File menu, and then click Open. Or press Ctrl+O
keyboard shortcut or click the Open button at the toolbar to open a standard Open Dialog.
2. In the Look in list, click the folder, drive, or Internet location that contains the file that you want
to open.
3. To check or select the file type, use Files of type drop-down list. Current Z Wave Zniffer
supports two file types: .ZLF and .ZWLF files that have same structure and contain frames
captured by Zniffer device as well as data from other Z-Wave Serial API device .
4. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that contains the file.
5. Click the file, and then click Open.
Note: To open a .ZWLF file a menu item ‘All Frame Types’ in ‘View’ toolbar should be selected first.
Another option is to open a log file directly from the Windows environment.
1. Find the file that you want to open.
2. Double-click the file to start Z-Wave Zniffer and open the selected file.
If you have a file that will not open, you probably need to install Z-Wave Zniffer.
6.2Save a File
It is recommended that one save the captured frames in a file to avoid losing data unexpectedly due to
a power failure or other problem.
To save your capture file, stop the trace, and click the Save button at the toolbar, or press Ctrl+S
keyboard shortcut on your keyboard, or click File menu and then click Save.
Type a name for the file in the Save As box.
To specify the range of saved frames, select one of the available options using the File >Save As option:
Selected Items, to save the selected frames only
Filtered Items, to save the filtered frames only
When finished, click Save.
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6.3Add a Comment to the Trace
It is possible to add a text comment to the trace. To do so, do the following:
1. Select File > Trace Comment from the main menu or Trace Comment on the Toolbar to add
your comment.
6.4Open Files Saved in older Zniffer Formats
The current version of Zniffer creates log files in .ZLF format. However, it can also read .ZBF and .ZNF file
formats created with previous versions of the Zniffer application. To do this, the File Converter
application must be installed in addition to the Zniffer application.
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7Working with Captured Packets
7.1Navigation within Frames
To simplify the navigation within frames in Frame List, use the Go To Line and Find dialogs.
7.1.1Navigation with Go To Line Dialog
To quickly navigate to a frame with any given Line No, use Go To action. Click the Edit menu, then click
Go To Line item. Or press Ctrl+G shortcut at your keyboard. Or right-click at any row in the Frame List and select Go To item in shortcut menu.
Figure 7. Go To Line dialog
To quickly navigate without opening a separate Go To Line dialog, use Go to Line textbox and button at
the toolbar. Enter the Line No value and press ENTER on your keyboard or click the Got To button.
7.1.2Navigation with Find Frame Dialog
To open Find dialog, click the Edit menu, then click Find item. Or press Ctrl+F shortcut on your
keyboard.
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Figure 8. Find Frame Dialog
Find dialog includes controls to set the find criteria by several columns:
Date
Source Node ID
Destination Node ID
Home ID
Time
Data - contains the list of available human-readable values in favor of hexadecimal codes;
Application
Hex Data
Select the required comparison operator and enter or select the required value for every field you want
to look for.
Select the search direction, that is top-down by default.
To navigate to the next occurrence of the frame that meets the entered criteria, click Find Next or press
ENTER button on your keyboard. Find dialog changes the active row in Frame List and remains on the
top of the Z-Wave Zniffer until it has been intentionally closed.
To exit from Find dialog, click Cancel button at the bottom of the dialog or click the Close button at the
title bar.
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7.2Highlighting frames
To highlight the frames you need, right-click at the frame you would like to use as a sample and select
Highlight Frames item in shortcut menu. It has the following sub-menu items:
By Source Node ID highlights all frames that have the same Source node ID as the selected one.
By Destination Node ID highlights all frames that have the same Destination node ID as the
selected one.
Highlight by Source and Destination highlights all frames sent between the nodes shown as
Source and Destination node of the selected one.
Clear Highlighting removes any active highlighting.
Right-clicking on the column header and selecting any of the highlighting options will result in
corresponding highlighting of all frames.
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7.3Using Display Filter
To reduce the amount of the frames that are displayed at Frame List use filters.
Attention! Please note that display filter affects the displayed frames while the total captured frames
remains untouched.
Filtering can be applied by Date, Speed, Source, Destination, Home ID, Data, Application, HEX Data.
To apply the display filter that uses some value for the filtering criterion, use the Filter icon at the
column heading in the Frame List. Click the icon to open the drop-down list with the available values.
Figure 9. Quick filter drop-down list for Destination column
Enter the required value to apply the filtering by this value only. Click OK or press Enter button to apply.
Clear the input field and press OK to drop the active filter.
7.4Control Active Filters
To clear the filtering conditions, click the Drop Filter button at the toolbar.
To activate/deactivate the current filter while pre-serving it, click the Toggle Filter button at the
toolbar.
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7.5Working with Encrypted Frames
Some of the frames that Zniffer captured could be secure (encrypted) frames. The frames that Zniffer
was unable to decrypt using known encryption keys contain a special Decrypt link in the Frame Details
window as shown at the figure below. Also, it is possible load keys from storage using Load Keys
button.
Zniffer support Security and Security 2 encapsulation.
To enter the required key, click the Decrypt link or press Ctrl+Shift+D shortcut at your keyboard.
Encryption Key dialog appears as shown at the figure below.
Figure 10. Decrypt Button in the Frame Details Window
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Figure 11. Encryption Key Dialog
To load keys from storage, open the file with the appropriate name according to network Home ID and
update the frame selection to decrypt frame. The file must be created from PC Controller before or
ZATS.
Attention! Zniffer is unable to automatically define what key should be entered – either network key
for a whole Secure Z-Wave Network or temporary (inclusion) key for some node. So, the user need to
follow the sequence of the events/frames and define what key should be entered.
The key values according to the Secure Command Class Specifications should be 16 hexadecimal values
long. Encryption Key dialogs support two possible formats – space-separated values (e.g. “01 02 03
04…”) and continuous string (e.g. “01020304…”).
Zniffer adds trailing zeros 0x00 up to 16 hexadecimal values. So, if you need to enter “01 02 03 04 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00” you can enter just “01 02 03 04” or “01020304”.
Attention! Note please that Encryption Key dialog accepts even number of values only.
Click Ok to apply the entered key and store it into the Key Storage that Zniffer will try to use for any
secured frame within current capture.
If the frame could be decrypted using the key that the user provided, then Zniffer displays the
decrypted information in the Frame Details window.
After successfully decryption, the Decrypt button is disabled and Zniffer shows used key in Decryption
View:
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Figure 12. Decryption View
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7.6Watch
Watch allows tracking the rare frames and fast navigating to the occurrence in the trace.
To open the Set up watch filter dialog, click the View menu, then click Watch. Or press Ctrl+Shift+W
keyboard shortcut.
Enter the appropriate criteria in column titles in the same way as when using filters
7.7Best Practices in Handling the Frames
7.7.1Select the Specific Frames
Sometimes it is difficult to manually select the specific frames while selection is required to target the
range of the frames to perform the further action upon.
Here are the recommended solutions:
Highlight the frames by specific Source node ID, Destination node ID, or between specific
nodes, and then click Select Highlighted. See section 7.2 for more details.
Apply a display filter to reduce the number of visible frames by specific criteria, and then click
Select All. See section 7.3 for more details.
7.7.2Operate the Large Capture
After running the Zniffer in a very active Z-Wave network, it can capture very large number of frames
that are rather difficult to operate with. Another reason for reducing the number of frames is the need
to send the capture file with specific frames for analysis to somewhere else.
Here are the recommended solutions:
Open trace dialog appears for large traces:
Figure 13. Open Large Trace
Select the specific frames and then click Save As to save as a new file. Select Selected only
option in Save Items drop-down list, and finally click Save. For more details, see section 6.2.
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Apply a filter using the Filter dialog or quick filter, and then click Save As to save as a new file.
Select Displayed option in Save Items drop-down list, and finally click Save. For more details,
see section 7.3.
Before starting the capture, specify the criteria for automatic saving the multiple files when
some condition is reached using Capture Options dialog.
7.8Editing the Command Classes XML File
If the Zniffer does not parse user-defined command classes, one must edit the Command Classes XML
file manually.
Command Classes XML file is located at:
%AppData%\Silicon Labs\Z-Wave Zniffer Secured
When the Command Classes XML file has been edited manually, it must be reloaded into the Zniffer
application. Select File > Reload Command Classes XML file from the Main Menu or press the button
on the Toolbar.
7.9RSSI
7.9.1Using 500 series module with Zniffer Firmware
The RSSI value (Received Signal Strength Indicator) is displayed in Zniffer. The RSSI value is supported by
the Z-Wave 400 series chip/modules, which enable the PC Zniffer application to provide the user with a
relative indication of the received signal strength. Note that the principles of RSSI will not justify the
captured RSSI value on Zniffer to represent exact interpretation of the signal quality: many external
parameters in the RF environment must be considered, in case "real" signal strength is desired.
The RSSI value on Zniffer is presented as 1.5dB steps per LSB, and higher RSSI value means higher signal
strength.
RSSI_value (decimal value read out from the chip) is proportional to the RFinput.
RSSI_value = (RFinput(chip) + Offset) / 1.5
When applying -80dBm at the chip input result in an RSSI_value of about 49(d). The Offset used for the
conversion from RSSI_values to input power is:
Offset = RSSI_value x 1.5 – RFinput
Offset = 49(d) x 1.5 – (-80dBm) = 153.5dB.
Hence, the actual signal quality may be calculated using the following expression:
RFinput(chip) = RSSI_value x 1.5 – Offset
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7.9.2Using WSTK board with PTI firmware
The RSSI value measured in dBm taken from the PTI to provide the user with a relative indication of the
received signal strength.
7.10 Debug Output
To read debug frames from a device, one must connect to the debug port of the device and choose port
in Tools -> Device Port Selection menu item.