Android USB Connection
We have designed PandwaRF to be connected to an Android smartphone either using Bluetooth Smart or a USB cable.
Connecting via USB provides higher throughput than a BLE connection, as evident in RX capture and Spectrum Analyzer modes.
However, when connected via USB, access to certain PandwaRF services is restricted, as these services are exclusively available in BLE mode. The following is a list of features not accessible in USB mode:
- Bus Service:
- Device information
- Firmware information
- Battery measurement
- FW update:
- Nordic FW update
- CC1111 FW update
- Self Test
- Bus Service Extended
- BLE throughput measurement
- BLE parameters
- BLE errors
To connect to PandwaRF using USB, your phone needs to have the USB Host feature.
The PandwaRF V3 contains a Micro Type-B port, serving as a peripheral device for both charging and data transfer when connected to a host (such as a PC or Android device).
If you choose to connect the PandwaRF to Android device using a USB cable, you will require a Micro USB OTG Male-Male cable (provided).
It's important to note that both ends of the cable do not have the same functionality:
- The red end, designated as the HOST, should be connected to the Smartphone.
- The black end, identified as the Peripheral Device, should be connected to the PandwaRF.
| Host | Adapter connected to host | PandwaRF V3 | Adapter connected to PandwaRF | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB Type A | All possible types | Micro Type-B | All possible types | - | ✔ |
| Micro Type-B | Type-C to Type-B | Micro Type-B | Type-C to Type-B | This cable type is not supported | ✗ |
| Micro Type-B | Any other than listed | Micro Type-B | Any other than listed | The peripheral end of the cable should be connected to the PandwaRF side | ✔ |
| USB Type-C | All possible types | Micro Type-B | All possible types | - | ✔ |
The PandwaRF V4 contains a USB Type-C port, serving as a peripheral device for both charging and data transfer when connected to a host. If you choose to connect the PandwaRF to an Android device using a USB cable, two solutions are possible depending on your smartphone's port:
- If your smartphone has a USB Type-C port, you only need a cable with two USB Type-C ends (provided).
- If your smartphone has a Micro Type-B port, in this case, you will need a cable with two Micro Type-B ends and a Micro Type-B to USB Type-C adapter.
| Host | Adapter connected to host | PandwaRF V4 | Adapter connected to PandwaRF | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB Type A | All possible types | USB Type-C | All possible types | - | ✔ |
| Micro Type-B | - | USB Type-C | - | This cable type is not supported | ✗ |
| Micro Type-B | - | USB Type-C | Type-B to Type-C | The peripheral end of the cable should be connected to the PandwaRF side | ✔ |
| Micro Type-B | Type A to Type-B | USB Type-C | All possible types | - | ✔ |
| Micro Type-B | Any other than listed | USB Type-C | All possible types | This cable type is not supported | ✗ |
| USB Type-C | All possible types | USB Type-C | All possible types | - | ✔ |
Note also that the PandwaRF Android app can connect either to :
- PandwaRF. This is the prefered device as it gives access to all features: RX/TX/BF/SpecAn/DRM
- Yard Stick One. Limited features: RX/TX
- RfCat dongle (Black version or Texas Instruments development kit version). Limited features: RX/TX
Last USB status is with:
- Android App v1.4.21
- Firmware Nordic v0.13.14
- CC1111 v1.4.14
USB has been tested and works fine with:
- Motorola MotoE2 on Android 6.0, API 23
- LGE Nexus 5x, Android 8.1.0, API 27
- Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900T, Android 6.01.1, API 23
- Xiaomi Redmi 5, Android 7.1.2, API 25