6: ZigBee Initialisation and Operation > Configurable Network Properties

Configurable Network Properties

A number of network properties can be pre-configured. The network is initialised by the Co-ordinator, at which time these configuration values are taken into account. These properties determine the maximum size (in terms of the maximum number of nodes) and shape of the network, and are as follows:

Network Depth

The depth of a device in a network is the number of nodes from the root of the network tree (the Co-ordinator) to the device. The maximum network depth is then the maximum number of hops from the Co-ordinator to the most distant device in the network. This determines the overall diameter for the network. Note that a Star network has a network depth of 1.

Number of Children

Each Router in the network can have a number of child devices attached to it. These may be either Routers or End Devices. The Co-ordinator specifies the maximum number of child devices allowed per Router.

Number of Child Routers

In addition to the number of children per Router, a limit is put on how many of these children may be Routers themselves.

	The Co-ordinator uses the above information during initialisation to allocate blocks of network addresses to the branches of the network tree. In turn, the Routers use it to allocate subsets of these address blocks to their children.

Click "Next Page" to continue.