Laird WB50NBT User manual

A
Quick Start Guide
WB50NBT
Version 1.1

WB50NBT
Quick Start Guide
Embedded Wireless Solutions Support Center:
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REVISION HISTORY
Version
Date
Notes
Approver
1.0
04 April 2016
Initial Version
Andrew Dobbing
1.1
01 May 2017
OS Support
Jay White

WB50NBT
Quick Start Guide
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CONTENTS
Revision History..........................................................................................................................................................2
Contents .....................................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction to the Laird WB50NBT...........................................................................................................................4
Product Description................................................................................................................................................4
Quick Start Guide –WB50NBT ...................................................................................................................................4
Inventory of Equipment .........................................................................................................................................4
Additional Required Equipment .............................................................................................................................5
Hardware Installation and Configuration...............................................................................................................5
Basics of the BB40NBT Board .................................................................................................................................6
Initial Serial Communication with the WB50NBT...................................................................................................7
Minicom Setup ...................................................................................................................................................8
Serial Port Configuration ....................................................................................................................................8
Important Note about No Serial Output.............................................................................................................8
ssh communication over Ethernet and USB Ethernet............................................................................................9
Laird CLI Basics........................................................................................................................................................9
Configuring the WB50NBT................................................................................................................................... 10
Bluetooth............................................................................................................................................................. 11
WB50NBT File System ......................................................................................................................................... 12

WB50NBT
Quick Start Guide
Embedded Wireless Solutions Support Center:
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INTRODUCTION TO THE LAIRD WB50NBT
The Laird WB50NBT Wireless Bridge module is a wireless communications subsystem that may be integrated
into a variety of host devices via a number of available electronic and logical interfaces.
Interfaces
Features
Specifications
Fast Ethernet
Serial UART
USB
SPI (master)
I2C
MMC/SDIO
GPIO
Bluetooth PCM
120-pin board with mating options
Cortex A5 processor (536MHz)
64 MB of LPDDR (Lower Power DDR)
memory
128 MB of NAND flash storage
Length: 47 mm
Width: 37 mm
Height: 4.9 mm
Product Description
The Laird WB50NBT provides complete enterprise-class Wi-Fi connectivity with an integrated TCP/IP stack, full
support for 2 x 2 MIMO IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 dual-mode wireless standards, three-wired
coexistence scheme, a fully integrated security supplicant providing 802.11i/WPA2 Enterprise authentication
and data encryption, and a BT protocol stack. The system is a full Linux 4.1.13 kernel based system with
modifiable file system allowing custom applications to run alongside system applications.
The WB50NBT is a fully integrated module with RF shielding and two U.FL type antenna connectors providing
two stream MIMO operation for maximum data rate. The Main antenna (for Wi-Fi only) and the Auxiliary
antenna (for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) work together with the three-wired coexistence scheme to provide the best
coexistence performance.
Note: For additional information on the hardware aspects of the WB50NBT, please refer to the WB50NBT
Datasheet (Hardware Integration Guide) available on the WB50NBT Product Page.
QUICK START GUIDE –WB50NBT
Inventory of Equipment
Qty.
Item
1
WB50NBT device
1
BB40NBT Breakout board
2
U.FL ultra-micro coax cable male to male SMA plus two nuts and washers
2
Dual band 2.5G and 5G antenna with reverse female SMA connector
4
Standoffs and nuts
4
Small Philips head screws
1
Power supply 12V 1A positive center with wall (US/European) adapter cable

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Additional Required Equipment
Qty.
Item
1
Small Philips head jeweler’s screw driver
1
USB to RS232 DB9/DB25 cable
1
CAT 5 e cable (optional)
1
USB A to USB B cable (optional)
Hardware Installation and Configuration
To assemble the WB50NBT evaluation kit, follow these steps:
Note: To prevent damage, you must connect the U.FL ultra-micro coax cables to the connectors on the
WB50NBT prior to fitting the WB50NBT to the BB40NBT evaluation board.
1. Using the four nuts provided, attach the four standoffs to the underside corners of the BB40NBT board.
2. Before fitting the WB50NBT to the BB40NBT evaluation board, turn the WB50NBT so that the 120 way is
on the underside of the board.
3. Connect the dual band antennas with an SMA connector to each of the AUX. ANT and MAIN ANTENNA
SMA connectors on the top side of the BB40BNT board. Figure 1 shows the location of the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi
/Bluetooth antennas. This information is also available on the silk screen on the WB50NBT.
4. Plug the WB50NBT module into the 120-pin high-density Kyocera connector situated near the central
aperture on the BB40NBT breakout board making sure to feed the two SMA connectors on the ends of the
U.FL coax cables through the aperture in the BB40NBT breakout board.
Figure 1: Location of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth U.FL connectors on the SDB-WB50NBT
5. Using the small Philips head jeweler’s screw driver, secure the WB50NBT to the BB40NBT board using the
three small Philips screws.
6. Feed the SMA connector connected to the ANT0 WI-FI to the aperture marked MAIN ANTENNA on the
BB40NBT board and, using the provided nuts and washers, secure the SMA connector to the BB40NBT
board.
7. Repeat for the ANT1 Wi-Fi and BT SMA, this time to the aperture marked AUX. ANT on the BB40NBT
board.
You can power the BB40NBT from mains power using the 12v power pack provided. Figure 2 shows the DC
jack and the power switch. Ensure the power switch is set to Off.
Wi-Fi only antenna
cable connected to
U.FL connector
Wi-Fi and BT antenna cable
connected to U.FL connector

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8. Connect the power supply to the wall outlet and put the barrel into the DC jack connector on the BB40NBT
breakout board as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Power source
Basics of the BB40NBT Board
The Laird WB50NBT is a flexible communications module providing a variety of interfaces which are made
available on the BB40NBT shown in Figure 3. Additional information regarding all interfaces, their use and
configuration is available in the WB50 Reference Guide. This guide is accessible from the WB50NBT product
page.
Figure 3: BB40NBT Evaluation Board
The WB50NBT is configurable via either the command line or the web-based version of the Laird Configuration
Manager (LCM). WebLCM is explained further in Web LCM Linux Platform Application Note which is available
from the Documentation tab of the Laird WB50NBT product page.
RED LED - D20
Power Switch
DC Jack
DC Jack
SD Card
Slot
Ethernet
USB0
Host
120 Pin WB50NBT Connector
USB1
Host
Main Wi-Fi Antenna
Wi-Fi and BT
Antenna
Debug UART
On/Off
Switch
UART 0
UART 3
Reset
USB
Device

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This section briefly details each interface available on the BB40NBT board.
Debug UART –Used for CLI communications with the WB50NBT module
UART0 –Spare UART
UART 3 –Unused
USB device
–Available for USB device/gadget operation
–By default, the port is in Ethernet gadget mode
–The IP address of the port defaults to 192.168.3.1
–The WebLCM is always available on this port
USB0 host
–Available for USB HOST operation.
–Use for flash upgrade capability of the WB50NBT
USB1 host
–Available for USB HOST operation.
–Use for flash upgrade capability of the WB50NBT
Ethernet jack
–The WebLCM is always available on the Ethernet port
–The IP address for this port is provided by the DHCP server to which the WB50NBT is connected
Initial Serial Communication with the WB50NBT
The following items are used in this section:
Qty.
Item
1
BB40NBT breakout board with WB50NBT module fitted as described above
1
USB to RS232 cable
1
Power supply 12V/1A with wall (US/European) adapter cable
1
USB A to USB B cable (optional)
1
Ethernet cable (optional)
To communicate with the WB50NBT, follow these steps:
Ensure you have loaded the driver for your USB-to-RS232 cable of choice on your host machine.
Depending on your cable, the drivers may be automatically installed by your operating system. If they are
not, you must download and install the device drivers for the cable.
Connect the USB A-type connector of the USB-to-RS232 cable to the computer. Your computer should
recognize the USB-to-serial adapter and load the appropriate drivers.
Connect the DB9 connector of your USB-to-RS232 cable to the port marked Debug UART shown in the
BB40NBT overview diagram Figure 3.
Note: The terminal emulator used depends on the host operating system.
To send commands to the WB50NBT, download and set up a terminal emulator such as Putty or Minicom
for a Linux host. There are a variety of available emulators.

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Minicom Setup
To set up Minicom on Ubuntu Linux host, follow these steps:
At the command prompt, type sudo apt-get install minicom.
Open Minicom (sudo minicom –D /dev/ttyUSBn –b 115200 -8 –o –l) where ttyUSBn matches the
enumerated USB virtual serial port. This command line provides the correct configuration requirements to
the Minicom application
Serial Port Configuration
No matter which terminal emulation program you are using, you must configure the serial port to match the
requirements of the WB communications.
Adjust the settings (as needed) according to the following:
Port
Must match the COM port of your USB-to-RS232 cable
Baud Rate
115200 (TeraTerm defaults to 9600 baud communications)
Data
8 bit
Parity
None
Stop
1 bit
Flow Control
None
Start Communication with the WB50NBT from the Host
Connect the 12v power supply to the wall outlet and the barrel connector to the SC jack on the BB40NBT
breakout board.
Slide the power switch (shown in Figure 2) to On to power WB50NBT. The Red LED D20 on the BB40NBT
board lights up.
Wait until the WB50NBT is done booting and you see the following prompt:
Summit Data Communications
summit login:
Enter the username and password. The default user name is root and the default password is summit.
Note: When entering the password, don't be alarmed if text or asterisks do not show. This is normal
operation in Linux.
Assuming all settings have been set properly, you should now be able to communicate with the WB50NBT.
The terminal presented now is the Linux shell on board the WB50NBT and behaves likewise. After logging
in, the following should display to indicate that you are now in the Linux shell: #
Important Note about No Serial Output
In some BB40NBT boards, the UART_3V3 jumper nearest the Debug UART port can become loose or unseated,
which results in no serial output.
If you find you have no serial output, check that this jumper is tightly seated (Figure 4).

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Figure 4: UART_3V3 jumper
ssh communication over Ethernet and USB Ethernet
It is also possible to communicate with the WB50NBT CLI from the host using ssh over USB Ethernet and if
required Ethernet.
USB Ethernet
You will need the USB A to USB B cable for this operation.
The USB Ethernet IP address defaults to 192.168.3.1.
Plug the USB A connector into your host and the USB B into the USB Device connection on the BB40NBT board.
IP Address Setup
On Ubuntu the USB drivers should load automatically. The IP address of the host connection will need to be
configured manually to match the following.
Address:192.168.3.2
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.3.1
DNS servers: 8.8.8.8
Once the connection to the WB50NBT has been established an ssh client (e.g. putty) can be used on the host to
connect to port 22.
Ethernet
If required, it is possible to connect via ssh to the WB from the host over Ethernet however this first requires
modification of the /etc/network/interfaces file on the WB to change the default behavior of the Ethernet port.
This first requires using the serial or USB Ethernet interface as described above to access the WB over the CLI.
Further instruction on changing the /etc/network/interfaces file is available in the Reference Manual.
Laird CLI Basics
The Laird CLI provides a command line interface to control the Wi-Fi features of the WB50NBT.
The Linux shell prompt is represented by the #symbol. From the prompt, enter sdc_cli to start the Laird CLI.
When the Laird CLI starts, the prompt changes to sdc#.

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Full information on the commands available within the CLI is available from the Documentation tab of the Laird
WB50NBT product page.
Information regarding using the CLI commands is also available by typing help at the sdc# prompt. Additional
help is available for the commands iface,profile,global and auto-profile using the syntax <command> help
at the sdc# prompt.
To see the status of the WB50NBT, type status at the sdc# prompt. The returned status should resemble
the following.
Status: Not Associated
Config name: Default
SSID:
Channel: 0
RSSI: 0
Device Name:
MAC: 00:17:23:e0:38:e4
IP: 192.168.1.1
IPv6:
AP Name:
AP MAC:
Bit Rate: auto
Tx Power: 0 mW
Beacon Period: 0
DTIM: 0
To exit from the sdc# prompt at any time, enter the command exit. You will be returned to the Linux shell
prompt, #.
Configuring the WB50NBT
The WB50NBT can be configured using the sdc_cli interface. To configure it, follow these steps:
At the sdc# prompt type scan. This generates a list of available networks currently visible to the WB.
Select the appropriate AP and provide the credentials.
For example, to create a profile quickStart for an AP with SSID quickStartSSID using WPA2 PSK with a
password quickStartPSK, use the following commands:
profile quickStart add
profile quickStart set ssid quickStartSSID
profile quickStart set weptype wpa2-psk
profile quickStart set psk quickStartPSK
profile quickStart activate

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Note: Consult the CLI documentation for more detailed information regarding the sdc_cli commands and
other examples for profile configuration. This documentation is available from the Documentation
tab of the Laird WB50NBT product page.
3. The WB should now be connected to the new AP configured in the profile. Type status at the sdc_cli
prompt and if all is operating correctly you should receive the following output:
Status: Authenticated
Config name: quickStart
SSID: quickStartSSID
Channel: 36
RSSI: -71
Device Name:
MAC: 00:17:23:e0:38:e4
IP: (DHCP)
IPv6:
AP Name:
AP MAC: 54:78:1a:e0:42:b0
Bit Rate: 6 mpbs
Tx Power: 5 mW
Beacon Period: 102ms
DTIM: 1
Note: It is also possible to configure the WB50 NBT using the integrated laird WebLCM via the
Ethernet or g_ether USB connection. See the Web LCM Linux Platform Application Note for
information. This documentation is available from the Documentation tab of the Laird
WB50NBT product page.
Bluetooth
The WB50NBT uses smartBASIC to control the Bluetooth interface.smartBASIC is an event-driven programming
language designed to make Bluetooth development quicker and simpler. Users can write a smartBASIC
application to perform Bluetooth operations on the WB50NBT.
When the WB50NBT powers up, smartBASIC runs as a daemon process which is running a Serial Port Profile to
Wi-Fi bridging application named SPPBr.
In the command line, enter the command ps. The following smartBASIC process appears in the list:
smartSS -E 7 -d -a -c /usr/share/smartBASIC/apps/$autorun$.SPPBr
The WB50NBT comes preloaded with sample applications that can be found in the following directory:
/usr/share/smartBASIC/apps.The SPP-Wi-Fi bridging application in this directory is the same one that the
WB50NBT automatically runs on boot. This application forms a bridge in between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SPP and
sends the data from one interface to another.

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To set up this application, complete the following steps:
Connect the WB50NBT (Device name: WB50 SPP-Socket) with another Bluetooth device using SPP (Serial
Port Profile).
Connect another network device to the WB50NBT on port 3000. For example, to connect a Linux machine
to the WB50, enter the following command, where xx.xx.xx.xx is the IP address of the WB50:
nc xx.xx.xx.xx 3000
Figure 5: SPP to Wi-Fi bridging structure
As soon as the WB50NBT has established both of these connections, data coming into either interface is echoed
out from the opposite interface. See the WB50 smartBASIC Extensions guide and the WB50NBT Reference Guide
for more information. These documents are available from the Documentation tab of the Laird WB50NBT
product page.
WB50NBT File System
This section details some important contents of the WB50NBT file system. For more in-depth information
consult the WB50NBT reference guide.
Table 1: Main components
Directory
Content of note
Comment
/usr/bin
sdcsupp
Laird Supplicant
sdc_cli
Laird CLI
/usr/lib
libsdc_sdk.so.1.0
Laird SDK library
libsdc_sdk.so.1
A symbolic link to SDK library
/etc/network
wireless.sh
Networking scripts. See the WB50
reference guide for details.
bridge.sh
Networking script. Sets up Ethernet L2
bridging. See the WB50 reference guide
for details.
/etc/init.d
startup scripts
The lowest numbered start up scripts
are executed first.
Network
Device
WB45
BT Device
Port 3000
Port 3000 BT
SPP
SPP

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Directory
Content of note
Comment
/etc/init.d/opt/
optional startup scripts
Create a symlink to the item to be
started:
# ln -s /etc/init.d/opt/<name-of-script>
/etc/init.d
/etc/ssl
default wifi certificate
location for all certificates
DO NOT put your certificates in
/etc/ssl/certs directory
/lib/firmware/ath6k/AR6004/hw3.x
fw-5.bin
Symbolic link to the AR6004 firmware.
fw_v3.5.0.10006.bin
The AR6004 firmware