Diagnostics

The image below displays a Cloud Node WiMAC connection, listed as Wireless Coordinator, and the connected WiMAC Controllers. The color codes for each Controller show the relative signal strength when communicating with either the Cloud Node or the next Controller in the mesh network toward the Cloud Node. 

Hovering the cursor over a Controller will display the Controller's connection information.

Short Address - Similar to a local IP Address; used if needed to define a Personal Area Network, dividing devices into different networks.

Full Address - The MAC address of the WiMAC module on the Controller.

Average RTT - Average RTT, or Round-Trip Time, is the time in milliseconds for a communication request to be sent from a selected WiMAC device to the Cloud Node/Gateway or next WiMAC device on the path to the Coordinator and then back to the selected Controller.

If the Controller is more than one jump from the Cloud Node on the mesh network, add the Average RTT for each jump to the Cloud Node to determine the combined communication delay.

Average Retries - The number of retries required to establish communication from the Controller to the Cloud Node, or to the next Controller in the mesh network connection to the Cloud Node.

Failure Rate - The percentage of failed communication attempts for the selected Controller recently. 0 indicates no failure; 1 is 100% failure.

For optimal communication, the following recommendations can help to troubleshoot WiMAC communication issues.

• Average RTT - The lower this value is, the better. For example, a combined value over 1000 equals a 1-second communication delay.
• Average Retries - The lower this value is, the better.
• Failure Rate - Any value above 0 indicates that significant communication interference will need to be identified and resolved.

The connecting lines between the Cloud Node and Controllers, or between different Controllers on the mesh network, show the Controllers' communication paths. Hovering the mouse cursor over these connection lines displays a general representation of the wireless signal strength. This value will range from 0 to 255, with 255 being the best and strongest possible signal.

To understand how the Links Test function in the Diagnostics tab works, you need to understand how the WiMAC mesh network works. After the WiMAC connections between the Cloud Node and Controllers are established, the Cloud Node periodically sends two commands to the connected Controllers: a ping command and a command to optimize the mesh network connections. Every few minutes, the Cloud Node sends the ping command to confirm the Controller is still online. Every other ping command is followed by the command to optimize the mesh network. This command makes every controller determine the optimal connection path back to the Cloud Node. The WiMAC module firmware determines this optimization and balances WiMAC signal strength, ping times, and the number of devices between the WiMAC device and the Cloud Node.

Selecting Start Links Test will begin sending the mesh optimization command every second. This can cause the connection lines between devices to change, and on Cloud Node systems with moderate to large numbers of WiMAC devices, this can cause device communication issues if allowed to run for more than a brief time.

Selecting Stop Links Test will end the device connection test.