Digi XLR PRO User manual

XLR PRO
Radio Frequency (RF) Modem
User Guide

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide
90002202
Revision Date Description
A September
2014
Initial release.
B March
2014
lRemoved the data sample RX indicator frame type.
lUpdated descriptions for the DN, ND, and FN
commands; added clarification note to the WR
command documentation.
C May 2015 lUpdated web configuration and Device Cloud options
available with XLR PRO firmware version 1006.
lUpdated Device Cloud brand name and login URLs.
D December
2015
lAdded certifications for Mexico and Australia.
lAdded USB support available with XLR PRO firmware
version 1007.
E February
2016
lNoted that user guide applies to all XLR PROmodels
(XLR PRO and XLR PRO INTL).
lMoved source content and made miscellaneous
editorial corrections.
Trademarks and copyright
Digi, Digi International, and the Digi logo are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United
States and other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the
property of their respective owners.
© 2016 Digi International Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimers
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Digi International. Digi provides this document “as is,” without warranty
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 2

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 3
of any kind, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of fitness or
merchantability for a particular purpose. Digi may make improvements and/or changes in this
manual or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.
Warranty
To view product warranty information, go to the following website:
http://www.digi.com/howtobuy/terms
Customer support
Digi Technical Support: Digi offers multiple technical support plans and service packages to help our
customers get the most out of their Digi product. For information on Technical Support plans and
pricing, contact us at 877.912.3444 or visit us at www.digi.com/support.
Online: www.digi.com/support/eservice

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 4
Contents
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide
Technical specifications 13
General 13
Frequency range 13
Rural range line-of-sight 14
Urban range line-of-sight 14
Receiver sensitivity 14
Receiver selectivity 15
UART interface data rates (software selectable) 15
Networking and security 15
Power requirements 15
Environmental 16
Regulatory approvals 16
Connectors 17
Data rates and sensitivity 17
Power supply 18
Operational modes 18
Hardware interfaces 18
LEDs 19
Reset button 20
Antenna port 21
For more information 21
Hardware setup
XLR PRO kit contents 23
XLR PRO front panel 24

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 5
RJ45 serial port pinout 26
Hardware setup 26
Connect the hardware 26
Mount the XLR PRO 27
Mounting guidelines 28
Antenna placement 29
Operations
XLR PRO operational design 30
Ethernet RF bridging 31
Serial mode selection 32
USB mode 34
Serial mode 34
RS-232 34
RS-485/422 35
IP socket mode 35
Serial communications 37
Serial buffers 37
Networking methods
MAC/PHY layers 38
Ethernet bridging 39
Ethernet packet handling 39
Bridging precautions 40
Enabling bridging 40
64-bit addresses 40
Unicast 40
Broadcast 41
Serial addressing basics 41
64-bit addresses 41
Unicast 41
Broadcast 41
Delivery method 42
AT command reference for XLR PRO
Special commands 44

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 6
AC (apply changes) 44
FR (software reset) 44
RE (restore defaults) 45
WR (write) 45
MAC/PHY level commands 45
ID (network ID) 45
BR (RF data rate) 46
PL (power level) 47
RR (unicast retries) 47
MT (broadcast multi-transmit) 47
Diagnostics commands 48
DB (received signal strength) 48
EA (MAC ACK timeouts) 48
ER (received error count) 49
GD (good packets received) 49
TR (transmission failure count) 49
UA (unicasts attempted) 50
%H (MAC unicast one-hop timeout) 50
%8 (MAC broadcast one-hop timeout) 50
N? (network discovery timeout) 51
RF network commands 51
CE (node messaging options) 51
BH (broadcast hops) 52
NH (network hops) 52
NN (network delay slots) 52
RF addressing commands 52
SH (serial number high) 52
SL (serial number low) 53
DH (destination address high) 53
DL (destination address low) 53
TO (transmit options) 54
NI (node identifier) 54
NT (node discovery timeout) 55
NO (node discovery options) 55
CI (cluster ID) 56
DE (destination endpoint) 57
SE (source endpoint) 57
Addressing discovery & configuration commands 57
DN (discover node) 58

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 7
ND (network discover) 58
FN (find neighbors) 59
Security commands 60
KY (AES encryption key) 60
Serial interfacing commands 61
BD (baud rate) 61
NB (parity) 62
SB (stop bits) 62
RO (packetization timeout) 63
FT (flow control threshold) 63
AP (API mode) 63
AO (API options) 64
D6 (RTS flow control) 64
D7 (CTS flow control) 65
4E (serial protocol) 65
4D (RS-485 duplex) 66
4T (RS-485 termination) 66
Hardware diagnostics commands 66
TP (temperature) 67
RP (RSSI timer) 67
Ethernet and IP socket mode commands 67
ES (IP socket mode enable) 67
IB (IP socket baud rate) 68
IP (IP protocol) 69
DX (destination IP address) 69
C0 (source port) 70
DY (destination port) 70
TM (TCP client connection timeout) 70
TS (TCP server connection timeout) 71
MA (IP addressing mode) 71
MY (XLR IP address) 71
MK (subnet mask) 72
GW (default gateway address) 72
NS (DNS address) 73
%M (Ethernet MAC address) 73
Device Cloud commands 73
DO (Device Cloud enable) 73
KP (device description) 74
KC (device contact) 74

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 8
KL (device location) 74
LX (latitude) 75
LY (longitude) 75
EQ (Device Cloud FQDN) 75
DI (Device Cloud indicator) 76
Web configuration commands 76
HE (web configuration enable) 76
HU (web configuration user name) 77
HW (web configuration password) 77
Ethernet bridging commands 77
BE (Ethernet RF bridging enable) 77
BA (bridge destination MAC) 78
AT command options 78
CC (command sequence character) 78
CN (exit command mode) 79
CT (command mode timeout) 79
GT (guard time) 79
Firmware commands 79
VB (firmware version) 79
VR (XLR PRO module firmware version) 80
HV (XLR PRO RF module hardware versions) 80
VH (XLR PRO baseboard hardware version) 80
*C (compatibility) 80
DD (device type identifier) 81
PN (part number) 81
NP (maximum packet payload bytes) 81
CK (configuration CRC) 82
API operation
About API mode 83
Using the AP command to set the operation mode 83
API frame format 83
API operation (AP = 1) frame format 84
API operation with escapes (AP = 2) frame format 84
Length field 85
Frame data field 85
Checksum field 87
API serial exchanges 87

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 9
AT commands 87
Transmitting and receiving RF data 87
Remote AT commands 88
Application API support 88
API Frame types 88
AT command—apply changes 89
AT command—queue new parameter value 89
TX request 90
Explicit TX request 92
Remote AT command request 94
AT command response 95
Modem status 96
Transmit status 97
RX indicator 98
Explicit RX indicator 99
Remote command response 100
Advanced application features
Remote configuration commands 103
Sending a remote command 103
Appying changes on remote devices 103
Remote command responses 104
Network commissioning and diagnostics 104
Device configuration 104
Device placement 104
Loopback testing 104
Device discovery 105
General purpose flash memory 106
Accessing general purpose flash memory 106
Working with flash memory 117
Over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrades 117
Distributing the new application 118
Verifying the new application 119
Installing the application 119
Keep in mind 120

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 10
Configuring XLR PRO using the web configuration interface
Access the XLR PRO web configuration interface 121
Set general options 121
Set Ethernet network options 122
Set Ethernet RF bridging options 123
Set Device Cloud connectivity options 123
Set XLR radio options 124
Set XLR radio serial options 125
Set XLR radio IP socket (Ethernet) options 126
Update firmware 127
Set web configuration options 128
Configuring XLR PRO using XCTU
Download and install XCTU 129
Download and install USB driver 129
Connect XLR PRO to your PC 129
Launch XCTU and add the XLR PRO 129
Configure parameters using XCTU 130
Determine or assign an IP address 130
Determine the assigned DHCP address 130
Assign a static IP address 131
Update firmware with XCTU 131
Configuration XLR PRO using Device Cloud
Create a Device Cloud account 133
Get the XLR PRO MAC address 133
Add a Digi XLR PRO to Device Cloud 134
Update firmware with Device Cloud 134
Configure Device Cloud connectivity options 135
Configure Ethernet network options 135
Configure Ethernet RF bridging options 136
Configure IP socket mode options 137
Configure serial mode options 138
Configure system options 139
Configure web configuration options 140
Configure XLR radio configuration options 141

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 11
Schedule Device Cloud configuration changes 142
Troubleshooting
Serial interface issues 144
Ethernet issues 144
General issues 145
Safety notices and certifications
RF exposure statement 146
Class 1, Division 2 (C1D2) certification—USA and Canada 146
FCC (United States) certification 147
Industry Canada (IC) certification 148
Australia certification 149
Mexico IFETEL 149
XLR PRO antennas
Omni-directional antennas 150
Yagi antennas 153

XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 12
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide
XLR PRO is a high performance, industrial grade long-range radio solution that offers serial, Ethernet
socket, and Ethernet bridging connectivity to ensure reliable wireless data communications over long
distances. There are two models:
lXLR PRO RF Modem for North American distribution
lXLR PRO INTL RF Modem for international distribution
In this documentation, the term XLR PRO refers to both models.
Packaged in a sturdy, ruggedized enclosure and using patent-pending Punch2™ Technology to
maximize range and significantly increase immunity to interference, the XLR PRO 900 MHz radio can
connect a variety of devices across many industrial applications.
Punch2 Technology leverages chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation to provide better receiver
sensitivity, multipath performance, and interference rejection than is available through commonly
used frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)
systems. The advantages of Punch2 Technology arise from the characteristics of the chirp signal as
well as several digital-signal-processing techniques that enhance performance and reliability. With
Punch2 Technology, data is spread to a higher bandwidth by multiplying each transmit modulation
symbol with a chirp signal. Operating at an expanded bandwidth provides several benefits:
lGreater receiver sensitivity
lInterference immunity

Technical specifications
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 13
lImproved multipath performance
lAdjustable data rates
Flexible configuration and management options allow you to quickly set up and deploy one or more
XLR PRO modems, as well as apply firmware updates, get device status information, and more.
Technical specifications
General
Specification Value
Dimensions 18 x 13 x 3.8 cm (7.1 x 5 x 1.5 inches)
Weight 0.68kg (1.5 lbs)
Ethernet protocols UDP/TCP, DHCP client
Ethernet physical layer 10/100BASET-T/TX
RoHS Compliant
Frequency range
Specification Value
USA & Canada ISM 902 to 928 MHz
Mexico ISM 902 to 928 MHz
Brazil, Australia ISM 915 to 928 MHz
RF data rate 9.4 kb/s to 3.2 Mb/s
Maximum transmit power (software selectable) +30 dBm (1 watt)

Technical specifications
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 14
Rural range line-of-sight
Speed Range
1.2 Mb/s up to 100+ miles*1
Urban range line-of-sight
Speed Range
9.4 kb/s up to 25 miles*2
141 kb/s up to 8 miles*3
591 kb/s up to 3.6 miles
3.2 Mb/s up to 1 mile*4
Receiver sensitivity
Speed Sensitivity
9.4 kb/s -120 dBm
141 kb/s -112 dBm
3.2 Mb/s -98 dBm
1Based on 100-mile range results. Other data rates scale based on sensitivity levels. Results will vary based on
noise levels and line of sight quality
2Based on 100-mile range results. Other data rates scale based on sensitivity levels. Results will vary based on
noise levels and line of sight quality.
3Estimated based on 3.6-mile range results.
4Estimated based on 3.6-mile range results.

Technical specifications
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 15
Receiver selectivity
Speed Selectivity
141 kb/s 70 dB (below 908 MHz, above 922 MHz)
40 dB (908 MHz to 922 MHz)
UART interface data rates (software selectable)
UART interface Data rate
TCP/UDP socket 460.8 kb/s
Serial RS-485 921.6 kb/s
Serial RS-232 460.8 kb/s
UART Up to 921.6 kb/s
Networking and security
Item Specification
Modulation Chirp Spread Spectrum
Supported network topologies Point-to-point/point-to-multipoint
Encryption 128-bit AES
Power requirements
Item Value
Supply voltage 9VDC to 26VDC

Technical specifications
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 16
Item Value
Receive current @ 9 VDC 300 mA typical
@ 12 VDC 230 mA typical
@ 26 VDC 120 mA typical
Transmit current @ 9 VDC 950 mA typical
@ 12 VDC 840 mA typical
@ 26 VDC 400 mA typical
Environmental
Specification Description
Operating temperature -40° C to 70° C
Regulatory approvals
Regulation Approval
Emissions/immunity FCC Part 15B
Hazardous locations Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C, and D
Mexico Safety
Mexico Radio
NOM NYCE Safety
NOM-121
Australia RCM

Data rates and sensitivity
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 17
Connectors
Connector Description
Antenna RPTN
Power supply Phoenix
Ethernet (2) RJ45
Serial (1) RJ45
Configuration port Mini USB
Data rates and sensitivity
The following table lists XLR PRO available data rates along with the corresponding receiver
sensitivity.
RF data rate setting
(ATBR)
Data
rate
Receiver sensitivity (dBm,
25°C)
0 9.4 kb/s -120
1 28 kb/s -118
2 66 kb/s -116
3 141 kb/s -112
4 291 kb/s -109
5 591 kb/s -106
6 1.2 Mb/s -103
7 2.4 Mb/s -100

Power supply
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 18
RF data rate setting
(ATBR)
Data
rate
Receiver sensitivity (dBm,
25°C)
8 3.2 Mb/s -98
Power supply
XLR PRO must be powered by a UL-listed power supply rated between 9 and 26V DC. Refer to the
following table for the required input current settings.
Input voltage Minimum current rating
9 to 15 3 Amps
15 to 20 2 Amps
21 to 26 1.5 Amps
Operational modes
XLR PRO offers the following operational modes:
lSerial (RS-232/RS-485): In serial mode, the front panel serial port provides
connectivity to the XLR PRO via RS-232 or RS-485/422.
lEthernet (IP socket): In IP socket mode, an XLR PRO can transmit and receive serial
data via a TCP or UDP connection from either of the front panel Ethernet ports.
lEthernet RF Bridging: In Ethernet RF bridging mode, an XLR PRO functions as an
Ethernet cable replacement, supporting point-to-multi-point transmission for a
maximum of 16 XLR PRO RF modems. By default, bridging mode is disabled. Serial
data from serial or IP socket mode operates concurrently with Ethernet RF Bridging.
If serial and Ethernet traffic are sent at the same time, there will be some latency.
Hardware interfaces
The XLR PRO front panel offers the following interfaces:
lSerial (RJ45) port: The serial port (RJ45) supports RS-232 or RS-485/422 protocols.
lUSB (mini USB): The mini USB port is used for configuration and basic serial
communication with a host PC. XLR PRO can act as a USB client only and requires
drivers (Windows only) to operate. The XLR PRO USB driver is available here:

Hardware interfaces
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 19
www.digi.com/support/productdetail?pid=5603&type=drivers
lEthernet: The Ethernet interface is 10/100 Base-T with a two-port Ethernet switch.
XLR PRO does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE) and must be externally
powered through the DC power jack.
LEDs
The following tables describe XLR PRO LED behavior during startup and data transmissions. (For a
diagram of the XLR PRO LEDS, see XLR PRO front panel on page 24.
Startup
LED Status Description
Power Solid Power LED glows solid red.
Link
margin
indicators
(RSSI)
Solid All of the link margin indicator LEDs show green
for one second.
Serial Data
In (green)
Solid On initial power on, if the green serial data in
LED shows solid for three seconds, the XLR PRO
is in serial mode.
Serial Data
Out
(yellow)
Solid On initial power on, if the yellow serial data out
LED shows solid for three seconds, the XLR PRO
is in IP socket mode.
Data transmission
LED Status Description
Power Solid While power is on, the power LED shows solid
red.

Hardware interfaces
XLR PRO Radio Frequency (RF) Modem User Guide 20
LED Status Description
Link
margin
indicators
(RSSI)
Solid The link margin indicator LEDs illuminate for
four seconds to show the signal strength of the
last valid RF packet received.
l3 LEDs = Very strong signal (> 30
dB fade margin)
l2 LEDs = Strong signal (>20 dB
fade margin)
l1 LED = Moderate signal (>10 dB
fade margin)
l0 LED = Weak signal (<10 dB
fade margin)
Serial Data
In (green)
Solid Serial data in LED shows flashing when serial
data is being transmitted.
Serial Data
Out
(yellow)
Solid Serial data out LED shows flashing when serial
data is being received.
Reset button
You can use the Reset button to reset the XLR PRO and to restore factory default settings.
To reset the XLR PRO:
1. Hold down the Reset button for up to five seconds. The serial data in and serial data
out LEDs flash three times to indicate that five seconds have passed.
2. Release the Reset button. The XLR PRO resets.
To restore factory default settings:
1. Hold down the Reset button for about eight seconds. While you are holding down the
reset button, the serial data in and serial data out LEDs flash three times to indicate
that five seconds have passed. Continue to hold down the Reset button until the
serial data in and serial data out LEDs flash six times.
2. Release the Reset button. The XLR PRO is restored to factory default settings.
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