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I am evaluating openthread for a project and is trying to find any information about whether it uses channel hopping. I've read the thread spec and found something about beacons on different channels when joining a network, but nothing more after that. I've also had a look through the code but must have missed the relevant sections.

What I am asking is simply does it stick to one 802.15.4 channel like ZigBee or does it use the whole available spectrum, like WirelessHART?

Martin Evans
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user3095483
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1 Answers1

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The Thread Specification uses the standard IEEE 802.15.4-2006 MAC and does not employ channel hopping - all devices on a network are configured to communicate on a single channel. The Thread Specification does include mechanisms for dynamically changing the network's channel over the air, along with other network configuration parameters.

jhui
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  • When does this dynamic changing happen? have I understood the spec correctly (section 8) that Active Operational Data Sets, which include the channel, can be changed when routing fails? Is this configurable? – user3095483 Apr 11 '17 at 07:00
  • Network configuration changes (including channel) are initiated and disseminated through Thread's Mesh Commissioning protocol. The [Thread Specification](http://threadgroup.org/ThreadSpec) provides all the details. While Thread provides the mechanisms for making configuration changes, it does not specify the policy. The higher layer could implement policy based on arbitrary inputs. – jhui Apr 12 '17 at 20:49