TI CC2538 development kit - problem with sniffer

I suggest you to use Ubiqua Packet Analyzer to verify this again.

We HAVE tested with 2 separate CC2531 dongles, and HAVE tested with both TI Packet Sniffer and Ubiqua Packet Analyzer and the results are the same. As I say in my submission we have verified all that.

I work with Lei Jin (Axios Mobile Assets - see her previous messages in the TI support thread for background) and she has been told to submit to this forum

I would suggest you to use SmartRF studio and connect your custom CC2538 to send 802.15.4 packets. At the same time, use packet sniffer to check if you can see any 802.15.4 packets.

We have done everything needed to verify this problem. We are using the SMartRF studio, all that we report here (traces captured by either the TI packet sniffer or the Ubiqua is done with the CC2351 TI dongle

The dongle does not capture frames coming from our custom CC2538 board, whereas it does capture those that come from the TI CC2538EM working as ZED with the SAME image.
This we can tell because in BOTH cases the application data sent by the ZED is verified to be received by the ZC (another TI CC3538EM)

Do you mean when you send 802.15.4 packets with SmartRF Studio 7 using your custom CC2538, you can see those packet on TI Packet Sniffer or Ubiqua Packet Analyzer?

I am saying the opposite

What do you mean "saying the opposite"?

Please reread my posts!!!

We have the same ZED image loaded into the CC2538EM and our custom CC2538 board

- a ZigBee packet sent by the ZED running on the EM2538EM is properly received and interpreted by the ZC running in another EM2538EM and is also received and interpreted by the sniffer (whether the TI Packet Sniffer or the Ubiqua Packet Analyzer) using the CC2538 TI dongle

- a ZigBee packet sent by the ZED running on the Axios CC2538 custom board is properly received and interpreted by the ZC running in a EM2538EM and is NOT SHOWN by the sniffer (whether the TI Packet Sniffer or the Ubiqua Packet Analyzer) using the CC2538 TI dongle

Packets transmitted by the ZC are properly captured in both cases.

Why does the CC2531 dongle fail to receive packets sent from our Axios CC2538 board, when these same packets are properly received by the CC2538EM?

I had read your post and read it again now. However, this doesn't make sense to me that Axios CC2538 sends messages that can be received by CC2538EM but sniffer can't pick it up. That's why I suggest you to use SmartRF Studio to do the test. By the way, how far is it between Axios CC2538 and CC2531 sniffer dongle?

You're right there! It doesn't make sense. We will be using the RF tool, but we haven't had the time to set up due to project pressures. It was tested in the past... but not verified via sniffer, so this is left to do
All distances are "on the same bench"

If you put CC2531 ISB dongle just next to Axios CC2538, can it sniff anything?

the problem: we have "bad" dongles!

Over the past year and a half we purchased 3 dev kits: Texas Instruments - EVALUATION BOARD, ZIGBEE - CC2538DK which have a "SmartRF programming board" plus 2 CC2538EM board plus a CC2531 "sniffer dongle"

We have now identified that we have ONE CC2531 dongle, and TWO CC2540 dongles! This if I trust the silk screening on the board, as the chip markings themselves are unreadable.

So when we located the one true CC2531 dongle (from our colleague who was out of town) we saw everything we expected to see.

So now our next move is to get TI to replace the two dongles that were sent to us in error as part of the dev kit shipments. Here are the pics

If you want to ask for replacement, you should do it from www.ti.com/.../faq-returns-and-refunds.page