Sniff ZigBee Packets A variety of software and hardware lets you
monitor and analyze IEEE 802.15.4 radio traffic. by Jon Titus,
Senior Technical Editor When engineers tackle a project that
uses ZigBee communications they may get a surprise. Unlike
point-to-point communications, ZigBee involves a network that
can establish nodes, repeaters and complex mesh topologies. The
proper test tools--often called "sniffers"--help engineers
diagnose ZigBee-network problems that could otherwise turn into
nightmares. Microchip Technology includes the ZENA Wireless
Network Analyzer with its PICDEM Z demonstration kit so
engineers can see what goes on among ZigBee devices. The ZENA
tool also can sniff and decode Microchip's MiWi protocol that,
like ZigBee, uses IEEE 802.15.4 radios. According to Steve
Bible, an applications engineering manager at Microchip, ZENA
time stamps packets and displays them in a graphical format.
"The screen shows the destination and source addresses, the
payload and the data," explained Bible. "We