Debugging ZigBee Applications

June 1, 2006 By: Andy Wheeler, Ember Corp. Sensors

Traditional debugging techniques can't handle the inherent complexity of wireless sensor networks. New tools are evolving to address these unique challenges.

This hardware functionality, combined with an InSight Adapter to make the data available to network analyzer software via Ethernet, solves many of the challenges mentioned earlier. Using Ethernet for the adapter allows the system to be scaled up to a greater degree than is possible with USB or serial, both of which are highly constrained by system size.

What's Next?

Emerging ZigBee network analysis tools such as Daintree's Sensor Network Analyzer or Ember's InSight Desktop are evolving to meet the unique needs of large-scale ZigBee application development. Today, this class of tools makes it possible to overcome the limitations of typical embedded software debugging tools as applied to networked systems. ZigBee system-on-chip support for network debugging (currently available on only one vendor's chipset) is sure to spread, allowing more innovation in the development tool arena.

However, several major areas still need to be addressed. Currently, providing processor halt/step debugging functionality in a network is still a challenge. A network-wide safe halt that allows on-air transactions to finish first would be a great step toward this feature. Integration with simulation tools allowing non-hardware-based development can also assist in shortening development cycles. Finally, as the size of networks gets larger, developers will need new methods of presenting and filtering the data collected by these debugging tools.

Andy Wheeler, M Eng , can be reached at Ember Corp., Boston, MA; 617-951-0999, andy.wheeler@ember.com, www.ember.com.