Protocol Guidelines
While many RF solutions impose data formatting and balancing require-
ments, Linx RF modules do not encode or packetize the signal content in
any manner. The received signal will be affected by such factors as noise,
edge jitter and interference, but it is not purposefully manipulated or altered
by the modules. This gives the designer tremendous flexibility for protocol
design and interface.
Despite this transparency and ease of use, it must be recognized that there
are distinct differences between a wired and a wireless environment. Issues
such as interference and contention must be understood and allowed for in
the design process. To learn more about protocol considerations, read Linx
Application Note AN-00160.
Errors from interference or changing signal conditions can cause corruption
of the data packet, so it is generally wise to structure the data being sent
into small packets. This allows errors to be managed without affecting large
amounts of data. A simple checksum or CRC could be used for basic error
detection. Once an error is detected, the protocol designer may wish to
simply discard the corrupt data or implement a more sophisticated scheme
to correct it.
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