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5.2.1 Network & Bluetooth

This chapter mainly introduces how to modify the wired and wireless network configurations of the development board.

Wired Network: RDK X5 (>= 3.3.0) RDK X3 (>= 3.0.2​

The development board's wired network uses a static IP configuration by default, with an initial IP address of 192.168.127.10. Users can switch between static and DHCP modes using the following methods.

[shell] Modify static IP​

The static network configuration of the development board is saved in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/netplan-eth0.nmconnection a file. By modifying address1 the fields, you can modify the static IP configuration. route-metri It is the network priority configuration. It is set 700 to make the wired network have a lower priority. When both wired and wireless networks are enabled at the same time, the wireless network will be used first.

sudo vim /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/netplan-eth0.nmconnection
[connection]
id=netplan-eth0
uuid=f6f8b5a7-9e23-49b2-a792-dc589b3d3e88
type=ethernet
interface-name=eth0
timestamp=1754294545

[ethernet]
wake-on-lan=0

[ipv4]
address1=192.168.127.10/24,192.168.127.1
dns=8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4;
method=manual
route-metric=700

[ipv6]
addr-gen-mode=eui64
method=ignore

[proxy]

After the modification is completed, enter sudo restart_network the command in the command line to make the configuration take effect.

[shell] Modify DHCP​

Modify [ipv4] the fields, keeping only method=auto and route-metric=700

[ipv4]
method=auto
route-metric=700

After the modification is complete, enter the sudo restart_network command in the command line to make the configuration take effect.

[shell] Modify MAC address​

Modify [ethernet] the field, add cloned-mac-address=12:34:56:78:9A:BA

[ethernet]
cloned-mac-address=12:34:56:78:9A:BA
wake-on-lan=0

After the modification is complete, reboot the system for the configuration to take effect.

[Desktop] Modify static IP​

image-edid

image-edid2

image-setip

[Desktop] Modify DHCP​

image-dhcp

[Desktop] Modify MAC address​

image-mac

[Desktop] Configuration​

Click it netplan-eth0 to make the configuration take effect.

image-enable

Wired Network: RDK X5 (< 3.3.0) RDK X3 (< 3.0.2)​

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rm4y1E73q/?p=11

The development board's wired network uses a static IP configuration by default, with an initial IP address of 192.168.127.10. Users can switch between static and DHCP modes using the following methods.

Modify static IP​

The static network configuration of the development board is saved in /etc/network/interfaces a file. By modifying the fields such as address, netmask, gateway and so on, you can modify the static IP configuration. metric It is the network priority configuration. It is set 700 to make the wired network have a lower priority. When both wired and wireless networks are enabled at the same time, the wireless network will be used first. For example:

sudo vim /etc/network/interfaces
# interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
# Include files from /etc/network/interfaces.d:
source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
    pre-up /etc/set_mac_address.sh
    address 192.168.127.10
    netmask 255.255.255.0
    gateway 192.168.127.1
    metric 700

After the modification is completed, enter sudo restart_network the command in the command line to make the configuration take effect.

Modify DHCP​

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is usually used in a local area network environment. Its main function is to centrally manage and allocate IP addresses, so that hosts in the network environment can dynamically obtain information such as IP addresses, gateway addresses, DNS server addresses, etc., and can improve the utilization rate of addresses.

The DHCP network configuration of the development board is saved in /etc/network/interfaces a file. By modifying the eth0 related configuration, the DHCP mode can be modified. For example:

sudo vim /etc/network/interfaces
source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
    metric 700

After the modification is completed, enter sudo restart_network the command in the command line to make the configuration take effect.

Modify MAC address​

If you need to modify the default MAC address of the development board, you can /etc/network/interfaces add pre-up configuration information to the file and specify the MAC address you need. For example:

sudo vim /etc/network/interfaces
# interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
# Include files from /etc/network/interfaces.d:
source-directory /etc/network/interfaces.d
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
    pre-up /etc/set_mac_address.sh
    address 192.168.127.10
    netmask 255.255.255.0
    gateway 192.168.127.1
    metric 700
    pre-up ifconfig eth0 hw ether 00:11:22:9f:51:27

After the modification is complete, reboot restart the system to make the configuration take effect.

Wireless​

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rm4y1E73q/?p=12

The development board integrates a 2.4GHz wireless Wi-Fi module that supports both Soft AP and Station modes. It runs in Station mode by default. The following describes how to use both modes.

Station​

In Station mode, the development board acts as a client and connects to the router's wireless hotspot to connect to the Internet.

  • For users using the Ubuntu Desktop version, click the Wi-Fi icon in the upper right corner of the desktop, select the corresponding hotspot and enter the password to complete the network configuration, as shown below:
    image-wifi-config
  • For users using the Ubuntu Server version, you can complete the wireless network configuration through the command line. The steps are as follows:
  1. Use sudo nmcli device wifi rescan the command to scan hotspots. If the following message is returned, it means that the scan is too frequent and you need to try again later. 
    root@ubuntu:~# sudo nmcli device wifi rescan
    Error: Scanning not allowed immediately following previous scan.
  2. Use sudo nmcli device wifi list the command to list the scanned hotspots
  3. Use sudo wifi_connect "SSID" "PASSWD" the command to connect to the hotspot, and the following information is returned, indicating that the network connection is successful 
    root@ubuntu:~# sudo wifi_connect "Wi-Fi-Test" "12345678" 
    Device 'wlan0' successfully activated with 'd7468833-4195-45aa-aa33-3d43da86e1a7'.

Soft AP​

The development board's wireless network runs in Station mode by default. To use Soft AP mode, follow the steps below to configure it.

  1. Installation hostapd and isc-dhcp-server 
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install hostapd
    sudo apt install isc-dhcp-server
  2. Run sudo vim /etc/hostapd.conf the command to configure hostapd.conf, focusing on the following fields:

interface=wlan0 #Network interface as AP hotspot ssid=Sunrise #Wi-Fi name wpa=2 #0 for WPA, 2 for WPA2, usually 2 wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK #Encryption algorithm, usually WPA-PSK wpa_passphrase=12345678 #Password wpa_pairwise=CCMP #Encryption protocol, usually CCMP

- To configure a hotspot without a password, `hostapd.conf` add the following to the file:
```shell
interface=wlan0
driver=nl80211
ctrl_interface=/var/run/hostapd
ssid=Sunrise
channel=6
ieee80211n=1
hw_mode=g
ignore_broadcast_ssid=0
  • To configure a hotspot with a password, hostapd.conf add the following to the file:
interface=wlan0
driver=nl80211
ctrl_interface=/var/run/hostapd
ssid=Sunrise
channel=6
ieee80211n=1
hw_mode=g
ignore_broadcast_ssid=0
wpa=2
wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
wpa_pairwise=CCMP
wpa_passphrase=12345678
  1. Configuration isc-dhcp-server file, the steps are as follows:
    • Execute the sudo vim /etc/default/isc-dhcp-server modification isc-dhcp-server file and add the network interface defined as follows:
    INTERFACESv4="wlan0"
    • Execute the sudo vim /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf modification dhcpd.conf file and uncomment the following fields:
    authoritative;
    • Then /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf add the following configuration at the end of the file:
    subnet 10.5.5.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 { #Subnet and subnet mask
      range 10.5.5.100 10.5.5.254;#Available IP range
      option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0; #Subnet mask
      option routers 10.5.5.1;#Default gateway
      option broadcast-address 10.5.5.31;#Broadcast address
      default-lease-time 600;#Default lease time in seconds
      max-lease-time 7200;#Maximum lease time in seconds
    }
  2. Stop wpa_supplicant the service and restart it wlan0 
    systemctl mask wpa_supplicant
    systemctl stop wpa_supplicant
    ip addr flush dev wlan0
    sleep 0.5
    ifconfig wlan0 down
    sleep 1
    ifconfig wlan0 up
  3. hostapd Start the service as follows
    • Execute sudo hostapd -B /etc/hostapd.conf Command
    root@ubuntu:~# sudo hostapd -B /etc/hostapd.conf
     Configuration file: /etc/hostapd.conf
     Using interface wlan0 with hwaddr 08:e9:f6:af:18:26 and ssid "sunrise"
     wlan0: interface state UNINITIALIZED->ENABLED
     wlan0: AP-ENABLED
    • Use ifconfig the command to configure the IP and network segment of the wireless interface wlan0. Make sure to keep it consistent with the configuration in step 3.
    sudo ifconfig wlan0 10.5.5.1 netmask 255.255.255.0
    • Finally, start dhcp the server and connect to the hotspot to 10.5.5.100 assign 10.5.5.255 an IP address to the client.
    sudo ifconfig wlan0 10.5.5.1 netmask 255.255.255.0
    sudo systemctl start isc-dhcp-server
    sudo systemctl enable isc-dhcp-server
  4. Connect the development board hotspot, e.g.sunrise
    image-20220601203025803
  5. To switch back to Station the mode, proceed as follows: [RDK X5] 
    # Stop hostapd
    killall -9 hostapd
    # Clear wlan0 address
    ip addr flush dev wlan0
    sleep 0.5
    ifconfig wlan0 down
    sleep 1
    ifconfig wlan0 up
    # Restart wpa_supplicant
    systemctl unmask wpa_supplicant
    systemctl restart wpa_supplicant
    # Reinstall Wi-Fi driver
    rmmod aic8800_fdrv
    modprobe aic8800_fdrv
    # Connect to hotspot, see previous section "Wireless Network" for details
    wifi_connect "Wi-Fi-Test" "12345678"
    [Other] 
    # Stop hostapd
    killall -9 hostapd
    # Clear wlan0 address
    ip addr flush dev wlan0
    sleep 0.5
    ifconfig wlan0 down
    sleep 1
    ifconfig wlan0 up
    # Restart wpa_supplicant
    systemctl unmask wpa_supplicant
    systemctl restart wpa_supplicant
    # Connect to hotspot, see previous section "Wireless Network" for details
    wifi_connect "Wi-Fi-Test" "12345678"

DNS​

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rm4y1E73q/?p=13

DNS (Domain Name Server) is a server that converts domain names and their corresponding IP addresses.

The DNS configuration of the development board is managed through /etc/systemd/resolved.conf a file. Users can complete the DNS related configuration by modifying the file. The steps are as follows:

  1. Modify resolved.conf the file and add the DNS server address, for example: 
    DNS=8.8.8.8 114.114.114.114
  2. Enable DNS configuration using the following command: 
    sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved
    sudo systemctl enable systemd-resolved
    sudo mv /etc/resolv.conf  /etc/resolv.conf.bak
    sudo ln -s /run/systemd/resolve/resolv.conf /etc/

System​

For the sake of system security and stability, it is recommended that users apt update the system through commands after installing the system.

The /etc/apt/source.list file contains apt the command's software source list. Before installing the software, you need to apt update the package list using the command.

First, open the terminal command line and enter the following command:

sudo apt update

Next, upgrade all installed packages to the latest versions using the following command:

sudo apt full-upgrade

After executing apt full-upgrade the command, the driver, kernel files, and some system software may be reinstalled. It is recommended that users manually restart the device for the update to take effect. The command is as follows:

sudo reboot

Bluetooth​

Initialization​

If the Bluetooth function of the development board is not enabled by default and hciconfig the device cannot be found, you can execute /usr/bin/startbt.sh the script to initialize it. The script completes the following tasks:

  • Complete Bluetooth initialization
  • Execute hciconfig hci0 up to complete Bluetooth Link Up
  • Execute hciconfig hci0 piscan Bluetooth scan

Video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rm4y1E73q/?p=9

The log after the script is successfully executed is as follows:

image-20220601172145987

In addition, users can use the command to query whether the Bluetooth process is normal. The command is as follows:

ps ax | grep "/usr/bin/dbus-daemon\|/usr/lib/bluetooth/bluetoothd"
/usr/bin/dbus-daemon

/usr/lib/bluetooth/bluetoothd

Communication​

In order to give full play to the expansion capabilities of the development board, the current hardware design has integrated a variety of interfaces and peripheral resources.

Due to limitations in interface layout and hardware resource allocation, the development board cannot fully replicate all communication interfaces of the Bluetooth module.

Currently, only BT_RX BT_TX the two-line mode is provided, which can meet basic functions such as AT command interaction and data transmission without real-time requirements.

The Bluetooth module based on the UART interface has different interface connection methods and corresponding functions as follows:

  • Basic Communication Mode (UART Only)
    • Interface pins:BT_RX BT_TX
    • Functional features: UART-based asynchronous serial data communication (such as AT command interaction and low-speed data transmission) without a flow control mechanism. When the baud rate is overloaded or a large amount of data is continuously transmitted, there is a risk of data packet loss and buffer overflow.
  • Enhanced transmission mode (adding hardware flow control)
    • Interface pins:BT_RX BT_TX BT_CTS BT_RTS
    • Features: It can effectively avoid the risk of data packet loss and buffer overflow, and supports A2DP high-fidelity one-way audio streaming transmission.
  • Voice communication mode (PCM synchronous interface)
    • Interface pins:PCM_SYNC PCM_DIN PCM_CLK PCM_DOUT
    • Features: Supports real-time two-way audio transmission based on SCO link, such as HPF/HSP

USB​

If you need to make in-depth use of Bluetooth functions, such as SPP (Bluetooth Virtual Serial Port) achieving high-speed and stable communication in mode, PAN (Bluetooth Virtual Network Card) ensuring bandwidth quality in mode, or A2DP (High-Fidelity Unidirectional Audio Stream) avoiding audio interruption in mode, it is recommended to use it first USB interface Bluetooth module.

The development board has integrated USB2.0-BT common CSR8510 A10 Bluetooth drivers such as, and can directly support most firmware-free USB Bluetooth modules.

image-USB2.0-BT

image-CSR8510

image-hci1

For Realtek the series Bluetooth modules, additional firmware support is required. Please obtain the firmware adapted for the Linux platform from the module manufacturer and place it in the designated directory before normal use.

Network​

Execute sudo bluetoothctl to enter the Bluetooth configuration interface in interactive mode. Device information similar to the figure below appears, indicating that Bluetooth has been recognized. Then show use it to view Bluetooth information and pay attention to Bluetooth powered status discoverable.

image-20220601172604051

Execute power on Enable Bluetooth, as shown below:

image-20220601172501882

In order to enable Bluetooth to be discovered by nearby devices, you need to discoverable on enable Bluetooth and turn on the Bluetooth discoverability property, as shown in the following figure:

image-20220601172648853

At this point, use your phone or computer to scan Bluetooth to find ubuntu the Bluetooth device with this name:

image-20220601175322650

Next, test the active scanning function of Bluetooth. bluetoothctl Enter in the interactive interface scan on to turn on active scanning. It will periodically print nearby devices. You can see that my mobile device has been found. scan off Turn off the scanning function and print a summary of the scanned Bluetooth devices:

image-20220601154131158

image-20220601154253947

Then it is pairing with other Bluetooth:

  • Pairing command: pair [targetMAC] , enter the command and follow the prompts yes. The other Bluetooth device selects Pair an option to complete the pairing.
  • After pairing is successful, you can use it trust [targetMAC] to automatically connect next time

image-20220601154414717

After the above operations, the basic functions of Bluetooth scanning and pairing are completed. If you need to use more functions, you can refer BlueZ to the official help instructions.