Commands

This section describes the commands which can be issued to a BuildAX ENV sensor. For information on connecting to the ENV sensors, please refer to the Connection Guide.

Command strings are followed by [CR][LF] (carriage return, line feed) in all cases; meaning that you should press the Enter key to send a command after typing it.

After most commands complete, the sensor will print its new operating status, and the list of basic commands. This will look like:

    Settings:
    Device:42609215
    Name:dig0001
    packet_header = 66
    device_group = 96
    device_id = 37397
    batt_min = 2200
    tx_power = 20
    tx_channel = 87
    pir_threshold = 20
    pir_suspect_val = 10
    pir_suspect_count = 8
    pir_suspect_release = 8
    pir_disarm_time = 24
    pir_led_time = 8
    sw_led_time = 8
    sensor_settle_time = 8
    credit_interval = 468
    max_pir_credits = 10
    max_switch_credits = 10
    sensor_interval = 2343
    num_tx_repeats = 1
    Commands:save | defaults | name | renew | reset | sample | stream | exit (esc)

BuildAX ENV Command List

Basic commands

The following commands may be sent over the UART connection to perform an action on the device:


name

Summary: Set the device name to transmit on pairing

Example: name=dig-bax0001

    Done.

save

Summary: Save current settings to non-volatile memory

Example: save

    Saved.

defaults

Summary: Reset all settings to defaults and save them

Example: defaults

    Done.

renew

Summary: Reset all settings, id and encryption data

Example: renew

    Done.

reset

Summary: Reset the device, unsaved changes discarded

Example: reset

    Startup.
    Initial battery: 1663mV
    Setting loaded ok.

sample

Summary: Sample the sensors and print their values

Example: sample

    Sample:
    Temp:24.7
    Humidity:38.3, 302
    Light:145
    Batt:1663
    PIR:165
    SW:1

stream

Summary: Stream the sensor values in the same format as above

Example: stream

    <Button/key exit>
    Sample:
    Temp:24.7
    Humidity:38.7, 316
    Light:145
    Batt:1663
    PIR:159
    SW:1

exit

Summary: Exit command mode, use current (possibly unsaved) settings now

Example: exit

    Ok.

    Turn off

Complex commands

These commands are complex in nature and should be used only by users who fully understand the devices functionality, or are familiar with the source code.

Command Description
packet_header=66 ASCII 'B' (0x42, 66) code to identify BAX packets
device_group=162 Integer form of bits 16 to 24 of identifier, used for subnet mask
device_id=62199 Integer form of bottom 16 bits of address
batt_min=2100 Minimum battery state before sensor disables itself (millivolts mV)
tx_power=10 Transmit power in dBm
pir_threshold=20 High threshold for known movement
pir_suspect_val=6 Low threshold for suspected movement
pir_suspect_count=4 Number of suspected movements to reach threshold and make event
pir_suspect_release=8 Time in each suspect count persists for †
pir_disarm_time=8 Time during which the PIR sensor will not create a new event (if triggered) †
pir_led_time=8 Time for which the PIR led illuminates for †
sw_led_time=8 Time for which the magnetic switch led illuminated for †
sensor_settle_time=8 Time after led illumination before continuing to monitor sensor events †
credit_interval=234 Time between granting event transmit credits †
max_pir_credits=5 Maximum number of PIR transmit credits
max_switch_credits=5 Maximum number of magnetic switch TX (transmit) credits
sensor_interval=234 Time between sampling and transmitting environment sensors †
num_tx_repeats=1 Number of environment sensor packets to send (repeats)

† Times Times are in Ticks which are ~128 ms. To work out the ticks required from a time in seconds, multiply by 1000 then divide by 128 (rounding any decimal places to the nearest integer).

Example Timings

The following values are multiples of 128ms ticks, rounded to the nearest integer. Exact timing is not possible with extremely low-power hardware such as the ENV, so there will be some drift over time. This also helps to prevent radio data packet collisions in deployments with many sensors, as no two sensors will drift by the same amount.

Time Value (ticks)
1 second 8
5 seconds 39
30 seconds 234
1 minute 469
5 minutes 2344
30 minutes 14063