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Smart Config Fail

Chad Christensen
Expert 1670 points
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: CC3100MOD, CC3100

I've been doing some testing with SmartConfig using the CC3100MOD with some different routers, and it seems to work pretty well most of the time. 

However, I took my system home to do some testing, and SmartConfig failed to work on my home's Netgear router. I found the failure has to do with the Wireless Mode settings (see lower-right of the image below). When I select "Up to 54 Mbps", everything works fine. However, if I select "Up to 150 Mbps", SmartConfig fails. I believe this is the default setting on newer Netgear routers, which means SmartConfig will fail on most newer Negear routers.

My guess is that the 150Mbps setting is supported by my devices running the SmartConfig app, so they are transmitting the SmartConfig packets at a higher data rate or on channels not supported by the CC3100. 

First, has anyone seen this problem yet? Are there any recommended work-arounds or fixes? Is there a way to force the device using SmartConfig to use the lower 54Mbps mode that the CC3100 can support?

Thanks,

Chad C.

  • 0
    Expert 1670 points
    And here's some more info about the problem:
    SmartConfig does sometimes work even with the "Up to 150Mbps" setting. Perhaps it has to do with the connection strength of my phone or traffic on the network? Sometimes my phone may use the lower 54Mbps datarate?

    Also, SmartConfig always works on a Netgear N150 wireless router with the "Up to 150Mbps" setting. But it does not always work on a Netgear N300 wireless router with the "Up to 150Mbps" setting.
  • 0 in reply to Chad Christensen
    Guru 21435 points
    This setting should not make a difference, as SmartConfig works by using packet size/length rather than exact timing.

    Things to look at are reception, make sure both the CC3100 device and your phone are close to the WiFi router. Also, are you in a location with many WiFi routers close by, as this may impact things.

    As for this setting and it's impact on SmartConfig, I cannot be sure that it makes no difference, this would be something that needs to be tested/investigated by TI.

    Glenn.
  • 0 in reply to Glenn Vassallo
    Expert 1670 points
    Thanks for the response.
    I'm doing all testing within 10' of the router and in the same location with each router - signal strength should not be an issue for these tests. Linksys routers consistently work 100% of the time, Netgear consistently works 100% of the time at the lower speed settings, and fails almost all the time at the higher speed settings.

    I'm not sure what the "Up to 150Mbps" really changes for the router, but I'm guessing it allows the router to use the full 40Mhz bandwidth while the CC3100 only supports 20Mhz bandwidth.

    I've tried a few different devices with the higher speed settings on the Netgear router. My newest devices - an LG G3 smartphone and an iPad 3 both fail. I believe both of these devices support 40Mhz bandwidth. My older devices - an iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPad 2 each successfully use SmartConfig to set up the CC3100. I believe these devices do not support 40Mhz bandwidth.

    If I had to guess, these newer router / smartphone combinations are automatically using the highest speeds and bandwidths when available. When this happens, the SmartConfig parameters are transmitted using these higher datarates and bandwidths, which the CC3100 is not capable of receiving.

    I could be completely wrong on this, but it seems like this is a problem that will get worse as more smartphones and routers begin using the full capabilities of 802.11n. I would definitely appreciate a response from TI about this. Thanks,
    Chad C.
  • 0 in reply to Chad Christensen
    TI__Intellectual 1630 points

    Chad,

    Please refer to provisioning page for more info: http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/CC31xx_%26_CC32xx_Provisioning

    From your description it seems that your understanding is correct. Smartconfig does not work under all circumstances. 5GHZ, MIMO and 40MHz networks are not supported.

    TI recomends AP or WPS provisioning methods.

    TI advise to any customer who wishes to benefit from Smartconfig easy provisioning to have one of the other methods as fall back option.

    Ben

  • 0 in reply to Ben Gilboa
    Expert 1670 points
    Thanks for the response. At least I know my testing and results are correct. I'll add AP provisioning as a backup.

    Thanks,
    Chad C.